Marine Teals
by Transvetites in Disguise
Summary: After witnessing some questionable actions from Soundwave, Thundercracker decided to get to know him better. It all went downhill from there.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Marine Teals**

**Fandom: **Transformers G1 verse

**Rating: **T (for now)

**Pairing: **Thundercracker x Soundwave

**Summary:**After witnessing some questionable actions from Soundwave, Thundercracker decided to get to know him better. It all went downhill from there.

**Chapter 1**

Thundercracker stormed towards the Nemesis' deck, ignoring everyone he happened to pass by. Nobody dared to question his destination as he was looking utterly homicidal.

He practically hissed at Dirge who was unfortunate enough to be on watch duty: "Open the gate."

"W-What are your reasons to go outside?" Dirge swallowed a huge lump in his throat and stuttered.

"Is this good enough?" With a snarl, Thundercracker whipped out his null ray guns and stuck it right underneath Dirge's nostrils.

"Perfectly sir!" Dirge slammed onto the control panel for dear life.

Thundercracker fired his thrusters and blasted off, flying away as far from the Nemesis as he could. He had to get away… wanted… _needed _to get away. He circled the sky about five or six times before touching on a barren area atop a cliff, surrounded by trees and oversized boulders. Thundercracker stood still for a clik, venting air heavily. His anger flared up suddenly like a flame threatening to engulf him, and he lashed out violently, unleashing his rays on the boulders. Explosions after explosions echoed through the mountains as they were blown into smithereens; dustclouds and bits of rock flew at him but he couldn't care less. He felt a cruel, vindictive glee as he swept his gaze across the scene of destruction he had just created. It was unlike him but it was strangely satisfying.

To say Thundercracker had had a bad day was an understatement. In the morning, Skywarp had pulled a prank that involved gluing the Stunticons to their berths, which, needless to say, pissed the Pit out of them. Skywarp, the fragging smartaft, had teleported and refused to return to base, leaving him to deal with the mess. The Stunticons went to bitch to Megatron. _**Thundercracker **_was called in by the Mighty Slagmaker to be berated and slapped across the face HARD for not controlling his Trinemate, and _**he **_had the Stunticons ganging up on him, demanding Skywarp's location, resulting in more than a few dents and gashes. Thundercracker wasn't WEAK per se, but one lone Seeker could only do so much against a whole Stunticon crew. After spending two joors in Hook's medbay buffing out every dent and welding every cut on his form, he went on an energon raid, got Jet Judo'ed by Sideswipe who gave him a shattered cockpit, which slowed him down considerably when the Decepticons retreated. The fact that the raid wasn't exactly a success only added fuel to Megatron's dark mood and he proceeded to crush Thundercracker's left wing. Thundercracker had to drag himself into the medbay the 2nd time that day.

His misery didn't just end there. 4 joors later, Starscream _**had**_ to start one of his domestic quarrels with Megatron and Thundercracker, freshly repaired and on monitor duty, had to sit throught he whole thing (oh, the _**agony**_). Starscream had tried to pitch him into supporting him many times but he'd rather stick his head in a volcano than do that. He decided that enough was enough when Starscream bitched to him afterwards.

He punched Starscream in the gut.

So that was how he ended up here, miles away from base, fuming and cursing inwardly, feeling horrible both inside and out.

"Thundercracker, emotionally unstable?"

Thundercracker's head snapped backwards and he found himself staring into Soundwave's glowing visor. When had the fragger snuck up on him? It must have been when he was beating the slag out of some boulders, because he couldn't hear anyone approaching. Sometimes he was afraid just how silent Soundwave could be.

"What are you doing here? Following me?" Thundercracker eyed him suspiciously.

Soundwave stared at him for a sec, and then slowly shook his helm.

"Negative. Encounter, purely coincidental."

"Yeah… like I can believe that. Coincidences like this are too perfect. What are you REALLY doing here?" Great, the telepath. Hope he wasn't reading his mind.

Again, Soundwave shook his helm slightly, staying as silent and impassive as ever, yet somehow Thundercracker felt he was reluctant. He waited for 5 patient minutes and just as he decided he was through with whatever game Soundwave was playing, a voice broke in.

"He was just spendin' time with us." Rumble stepped into the clearing, followed by Frenzy and Ravage. Laserbeak and Buzzsaw zipped into view and landed on Soundwave's shoulders. "Stop eyeing Boss like that. He has better things ta do than stalking a Seeker." Frenzy quipped. "Why didcha ditch us, Boss?"

"Apologies."

And now the army of midgets.

Motherfuckers of motherfucking mothers.

Soundwave looked over at Thundercracker and repeated his previous questions in a monotonous voice: "Thundercracker, emotionally unstable?"

Thundercracker's optics darkened, all his memories of the day returning like a rushing tide. How DARE Soundwave barge in on his privacy and question him as if he knew everything?

"You know NOTHING about my emotional state." He ground out through gritted denta.

"Status?"

"Normal. Now leave me the frag alone."

"Previous actions indicate otherwise."

"Stop being noisy!"

"Thundercracker: bad day?"

He vented hard, his mind filled with pent-up anger. He felt like screaming.

"Bad day? _**BAD DAY?**_ Someone like you, Megatron's Golden Boy, is talking to me about a bad bay? I'll show you a bad day." Thundercracker hissed.

Soundwave and his cassettes looked at him, clearly perplexed. Figures. He was supposed to be the calm, rational Seeker in his stupidly retarded trine. So if he were to go a tad insane… most mechs would be dearly confused.

… Actually, that was a VERY tempting idea.

"I have been yelled at, slapped, manhandled by the Stunticons for Skywarp's prank, forced to take responsibility for something I didn't do, suffered from a smashed cockpit and a crushed wing, listened to Starscream's bitching and gone to the medbay TWICE. How is any of THAT not a sign of a bad day?" Thundercracker deflated. He didn't want to talk about it. Suddenly he felt sick. It wasn't as if his usual days were wonderful but never had there been a day as bad as this.

He was tired, truly tired.

"Just… Just go away, will you? I need some time."

Thundercracker lowered his gaze onto the ground, bitter anger swirling within his spark. A 'con could never tell others their true feelings and he had let slipped too much. He felt USED. They were all trying to dum slag on him, every single goddamn one of them. No one ever showed him a bit of consideration, save for his trine but even their comforts were few and far between. Besides, they were the prime source of his misery in the first place.

Funny how those closest to you caused you the most pain.

Silence. Then footsteps coming towards him. Thundercracker lifted his gaze just in time to see Soundwave's facelate a few inches from his, his facial expression as blank as ever. He stumbled backwards in surprise. "Soundwave, wha-"

Soundwave held up a servo and Thundercracker instantly shut his mouth. He stared in bewilderment and a little fear as Soundwave lifted one arm over his head. Was Soundwave mad and about to smack him? Thundercracker shut his optics and waited for the blow.

It never came.

Instead, a tentative and gentle servo rested on top of his helm. Thundercracker froze on the spot, not believing what he was experiencing. Soundwave initiated physical contact with him. SOUNDWAVE initiated physical contact with him. Soundwave never willingly approached any mech and nobody dared to touch him either; and here he was with one hand rested atop Thundercracker's helm.

Fragging mindfucks. His systems must be glitching again. No way this was happening.

He hadn't gone through the initial shock when Soundwave slowly patted his head, stroking it hesitantly, his movements slow and awkward, as if unsure of what he was doing. Thundercracker unconsciously leaned into the oddly comforting touch before he realized he was receiving pity from a mech he barely knew. He slapped Soundwave's hand away.

"I don't need your pity!" He spat furiously. He hated that Soundwave was giving him something his trinemates didn't: sympathy. He didn't think he could bear it.

He started walking away when Soundwave grabbed his lower arm in a firm grip, not enough to hurt but enough to keep him from leaving.

"What the frag? Let me go before I fry you with my null rays!"

"Thundercracker's threat: failed to intimidate." He tried his best to shake himself free but Soundwave's hold was unrelenting.

"Let go slaggit! I don't want to fight!" He was desperate to get away. It was how he usually dealt with emotional distress – in solitude waiting for his raging emotions to die down and bury themselves. And now Soundwave was preventing him from doing so.

Suddenly Thundercracker was yanked backwards and he felt himself enveloped in a tight embrace. He tensed up instinctively, then started to thrash but Soundwave held on, one arm wound around Thundercracker's waist, the other lightly tracing his left wing, drawing patterns and circles. This is NOT the Soundwave he knew. He was so confused.

"Hush," Soundwave murmured against his chassis, "let it out."

Granted permission, Thundercracker clung to Soundwave with all his might, his entire body shaking slightly from trying to contain his anger. Soundwave continued his comforting movements, stroking his wings with a featherlight caress. For the first time, he realized Soundwave was shorter than him, smaller, more slender and very, very warm. The constant heat radiating from his frame, his soft hushing, his gentle touch on his wings, the feeling of his body pressed flush against his own, all of this calmed Thundercracker down significantly. He distantly registered the Casseticons gaping at them, clearly shocked at Soundwave's actions.

When Soundwave asked:

"Source of Thundercracker's distress?",

Thundercracker didn't hesitate.

* * *

><p>"… And then Starscream said to me: 'We are a trine and you should've backed me up!' Well excuse me if my idea of a trine doesn't involve getting a fusion cannon up my aft! I blew a fuse right then and there and flew off here."<p>

He told Soundwave what happened. Why he bothered to do so, he didn't know but it felt as if an entire weight was lifted off his shoulders. Soundwave was quite an attentive and possibly sympathetic listener. They were sitting close, shoulders barely touching. The Casseticons had all snuggled up against Soundwave.

"Thundercracker, calm?"

"Yeah…" Thundercracker scratched his helm, directing his gaze from Soundwave. An uncomfortable silence fell among the group. Soundwave simply gave him a stare. Thundercracker still couldn't compute what had happened. It was really strange to see Soundwave comforting someone beside his cassettes. What would he say to him now? He wanted to ask a lot but it didn't look like Soundwave would answer them.

"Thanks for listening, I guess… I'm sorry I took it out on you."

Sounwave nodded lightly then turned his attention to the starless night sky.

They sat like that for another joor until Soundwave stood up.

"Recharge cycle, overdue. Suggestion: return to base."

"Wait!" Thundercracker also stood.

"Why?"

"Elaborate on statement."

"Why did you help me? We've almost never talked, we don't know anything about each other and I doubt if we like one another's guts very much. I don't think you are the overly affectionate type either. So what gives?"

It might be his glitch speaking but Soundwave seemed uncertain. He waited patiently until finally he spoke.

"Thundercracker: integral part of Elite Seeker Trine and valuable asset to Decepticon army. Emotional distress from you would lower the Trine's performance and cause future problems. Immediate actions required."

Thundercracker's wings sagged. Soundwave comforted him because he was still _**useful**_. A tiny part within him had hoped that Soundwave's actions had another motive.

"I see… I should've seen that coming." He was about to take off when Soundwave's voice stopped him.

"Also… Thundercracker, most tolerable among Decepticons."

Wait, what? Did he just…?

"This event: not to be repeated in the future. Return to base."

Before he could say anything, Soundwave gathered up his cassettes and took off.

He was most tolerable? That was probably the closest to a "I don't loathe you" from Soundwave. Soundwave had acted so strange that he was at a loss. How would Thundercracker act around him now? He could pretend nothing happened but that didn't feel right to him.

He shook his helm and transformed. If he thought anymore his processor would likely explode.

* * *

><p>Please leave reviews. I'd love to read them all, good or bad.<p>

This will be a multichapter story if it has enough likes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Marine Teals**

"_" : normal conversation

'_Asdsdf' _: symbiotic bond

**Chapter 2**

Soundwave was not prone to panicking. Right now, though, standing in front of the rec room's door, his mind couldn't help but immediately switch to paranoia.

"Calm down, Boss." Rumble tried to drag him in by the leg but his attempts where short-lived. The Aerial Twins gripped his shoulders and tried in vain to lift him up, even Ravage was pushing him but they couldn't get him to budge an inch. When Soundwave did not want to go anywhere, nothing the Casseticons did could change his mind.

"Seriously, Boss, we need to refuel in the morning!" Frenzy pushed at his lower body, determined to get him through the door. "Was it about yesterday? And what in the Pit were you thinking last night? Why did you hu-"

A hand smacked Frenzy's helm and he bend down, gripping his head in pain. "What the hell Boss! Why'd you do that for?"

"Cuz you said the taboo word." Rumble looked at his twin as if he was the biggest idiot in the galaxy. They started to exchange punches and the exasperated telepath had to pull them apart.

Soundwave frowned under his mask, his thoughts reeling. He did NOT need to be reminded of the way he had acted towards a certain blue seeker last night! Primus tell, under what impulse had he decided to pat Thundercracker's helm? Worse… He even hugged him. HUGGED him. _**HUGGED**_. Last night, in the solitude and tranquility of his chamber, he had screamed mentally for two solid joors at his abnormal display of physical affection. Soundwave did NOT do physical affectionate things to his comrades, first because he did not like the contact, second because every mech in existence thought of him as emotionless. Why in the Pit did he do that? He wracked his processor to come up with a reason and nearly suffered a nervous breakdown when he realized there was none.

He just… went and did it.

It probably had something to do with Thundercracker's vulnerable state yesterday. The seeker had never attracted much attention, mostly due to the fact that he did not scream to be recognized (unlike _**some**_ mech) or actively seek out battles, plus he was the most rational among his kin. It was a shock to witness Thundercracker's violent outbursts. He had seemed so distraught, so angry, so… lonely. Last night, the wings on his back hung painfully low, lower than he had ever seen. He even blasted a MOUNTAIN during his fits.

Soundwave tried to convince himself that he had comforted Thundercracker out of concern for the Decepticon cause. After all, a depressed Seeker is a less dangerous seeker. He looked at the entrance of the rec room where the subject of his inner turmoil was possibly residing and cursed inwardly with the most colourful vocabulary he could think of.

He had to get in there. Reporting to Megatron was a duty every morning. If he sent his cassettes to do the job, suspicions would surely arise. He bit his botton lip hard.

No doubt Thundercracker would feel very awkward if he saw Soundwave and so would he, which was why he hesitated to go into the rec room in the first place. But then again, what choice did he have?

He just needed to get in, report for duty, get his energon ration and get out ASAP.

Yes, that's what he was going to do. He took a moment to compose himself before striding through the door to his doom.

The rec room was not very crowded. Shooing his symbionts away to get their own rations through their bond, he went straight to Megatron, who was sipping from an energon cube while pretending to listen to Starscream. "Soundwave: report for duty." He bowed.

"Dismissed. Go have your energon and then go to your daily duties." Megatron nodded at him while Starscream bristled, visibly annoyed at being ignored.

"Acknolwedged, Lord Megatron."

Soundwave made a beeline for the energon dispenser, his alarms on high. Out of the corner of his visor, he registered a flash of teal-tinted blue and tried to ignore the nervousness pooling up inside him. He waited for his cube to be filled up, feeling an intense gaze on his back.

Out of a stubborn instinct, he whipped his helm backwards and lo and behold, Thundercracker was staring at him.

It was in one of these situations that he truly appreciated his mask and visor for they allowed him to stare back at Thundercracker impassively without betraying any of his feelings. Thundercracker simply continued to stare, not showing a bit of guilt at being caught by Soundwave.

The mini staring match dragged on for a few minutes before Thundercracker gestured to a nearby table in a subtle inquiry. Soundwave debated ignoring him and leaving the rec room but his pride won out. He did not run away from mechs, it was usually the other way around. Discomfited as he was, he still sat down, all the while watching the blue seeker slip into the opposite seat with wary optics.

"Relax, Soundwave. I'm not going to shoot you or anything." Thundercracker grunted, setting his half-finished cube down.

"Soundwave: not nervous. State Thundercracker's objective."

"I can see that." Thundercracker lightly chuckled. He even had the gall to sound amused, the stupid seeker. Soundwave said nothing and resorted to glaring at him until he fidgeted. "I just want to, you know… maybe talk a bit with you?"

"Possible topic, not welcome."

"You're not the only one who's feeling awkward here. I'm just… really confused, OK? You acted completely out of character last night and I feel like I need some justifications."

"Thundercracker, same."

"Hey, I told you everything about my fragged up day yesterday." Thundercracker's mouth twitched into a humorless smile and he looked down, his depression returning.

"Apology." Soundwave said before he could stop himself. Maybe he felt guilty for reminding the mech of his bad memories?

The blue mech seemed to be in mild shock and scratched his helm sheepishly: "You apologise? Holy Pit… I-I mean, it's not that offensive… " Soundwave let out a quiet huff. Seriously, was it that strange to hear an apology from him?

Distantly, Soundwave registered the Aerial twins pinging him, their end of the bond full of worry. '_Master, what is happening? Do you need assistance?'_

'_Negative. Casseticons, desert rec room. Problems need to be solved.'_

'_Yes, Master.'_

His Casseticons left the room immediately, throwing questioning glances at him and his companion. He even saw Skywarp lingering in the background, puzzled beyond belief.

"Hey Soundwave, why did you hu-"

Soundwave's attention instantly snapped back to the mech sitting opposite him and his visor glowed ominously as he pinned Thundercracker with a glare that guaranteed death if he continued his sentence. Said mech clammed up immediately, his hands raised as a peace-making gesture. They sat in uncomfortable silence after that. Thundercracker swirled his energon cube, clearly nervous. Soundwave sipped his energon through a straw as quickly as he could without giving the impression that he was trying to choke himself. He disliked showing his face in public for many reasons, so he always stored some straws in his subspace. His nimble fingers toyed with the edge of his own cube and he was, for a moment, blissfully unaware of a pair of watching optics.

"Soundwave?"

Soundwave jerked up and mentally steeled himself for whatever question Thundercracker was about to throw at him. It was bound to be embarrassing.

"What did you mean when you said I was 'most tolerable'?"

Soundwave's faceplate flushed slightly. Thank Primus for his battlemask. He sat perfectly still for 5 minutes, struggling to come up with a decent answer that would not embarrass him any further. Thundercracker watched him calmly across the table. Just as he opened his mouth, two things happened at once:

One, Starscream glared at him with the intensity of a predator sizing up his prey, and

Two, Skywarp jumped in, grabbing Thundercracker's arm and pulling him away, all the while babbling about a flight practice and throwing suspicious glances at Soundwave.

Thundercracker seemed unwilling to leave without getting his answer but Skywarp went VOP! And they disappeared.

As soon as the blue seeker left, Starscream stopped glaring daggers at Soundwave and resumed his prattle to Megatron.

Soundwave was plainly baffled. He looked at the place where Thundercracker had been previously and tried to make sense of what he had witnessed but gave up early. Seekers made no sense. Why glare at him? It wasn't as if he was blackmailing Thundercracker or something.

He gently shook his helm, downed the rest of his cube and left for the monitors.

At least he no longer had to answer that blasted question. Hopefully.

* * *

><p>He should've known better than to think a Seeker would give up easily.<p>

All throughout the day, Thundercracker had tried to corner him, talking him into answering his abandoned question. Soundwave, of course, chalked up and refused to utter a word. After the tenth time though, his patience was wearing thin. Like at right this moment, with Thundercracker hovering near the monitors.

"I just want to know why you said it."

"Yesterday, what did you mean when you said 'tolerable'?"

"Soundwave… Tell me, why did you-"

Soundwave snapped.

"Suggestion: _**shut up**_." He turned to fully face Thundercracker, hands on his hips. Though he was one head shorter than the Seeker, Soundwave possibly loomed over him with menace. Said mech visibly shrank, muttering inaudibly in an annoyed manner while raising up his hand.

Soundwave sighed tiredly. "Thundercracker: why so compelled to know?"

"Why would I not? You were nice to me and that was really rare among Decepticons. I just want to know why so I don't become too presumptuous later." Thundercracker stared down at his own pedes.

From what Thundercracker had said, Soundwave deduced that the Seeker thought he helped him because he wanted to make use of him. Soundwave was suddenly annoyed. Couldn't he help a mech without having his motives questioned? Did he _really_ have such a notorious reputation?

Then again, he never took care to dissipate such thoughts. Thundercracker's doubts were understandable.

He glanced around the monitor room. Good, nobody was around. He had send his symbionts away on an errand earlier. He carefully mulled over his words.

"Thundercracker… calm. Collected. Reasonable. Not battle thirsty. Does not constantly cause trouble or demand attention. Help solve many problems by being rational. Sophisticated." He gestured helplessly at the teal-tinted blue mech standing before him, unable to express himself further. He was surprised at his own response. "Therefore, Thundercracker's presence... pleasant."

Thundercracker did not say anything, just scrutinize Soundwave closely as if looking for confirmation or signs of deception. When he found none, Thundercracker broke into an easygoing grin, the corners of his mouth pulling up slightly, exposing gleaming denta. Soundwave stubbornly refused the tiny blush that threatended to creep up on his cheeks.

"Never thought I'd live to see the day when _**the**_ Soundwave compliments me."

Soundwave glared bullets. The cheeky little bastard.

"Return to duty."

"All right, all right. I'm going." Thundercracker raised his servos up again to make peace. He tended to do that a lot, Soundwave mused.

Before he left, Thundercracker glanced back at Soundwave. "Everything you said… You didn't lie, did you?"

The blush came back full-on. "… Negative. Now leave."

Thundercracker nodded, his expressions unreadable. Then he disappeared through the hallway.

* * *

><p>He was watching for Autobot activity when suddenly he felt anger and panic coming from Frenzy.<p>

'_Frenzy?'_

'_Boss, help me!'_

At that moment Frenzy ran into the monitor room with Skywarp and Rumble in tow. They were shouting and yelling profanities, and Soundwave had to turn down his audio receptors at their volume.

Skywarp started chasing Frenzy around. Rumble yelled at Skywarp to leave his twin alone. All the other Decepticons watched the spectacle with amusement. Frenzy slipped from between Skywarp's pedes and dashed behind Soundwave, hugging his legs with all his might. Soundwave resisted the urge to pinch his nasal ridge. What had the little hellion done now?

"Soundwave, move aside." Skywarp snarled.

"Negative. Skywarp, problem with Frenzy?"

"Slagging hell I have a bone to pick with him. He dented my wings! The little coward!"

Frenzy stepped out from behind Soundwave, fuming: "I am NOT a coward you sorry excuse of a Seeker! Besides you started it first! You insulted us!" He planted his hands on his hips and glared at the purple seeker. It was a mistake to leave his hiding spot.

In a flash, Skywarp lifted him up by the collar and held him in front of his face. Frenzy started kicking and struggling, reaching for Skywarp's optics. Soundwave bristled and his protective protocols kicked in.

"Now I am going to give you a lesson for denting my wings you little wretch!" Skywarp said gleefully.

"Skywarp: desist."

Skywarp turned his attention to Soundwave. Guilty or not, Frenzy was still his symbiont and he would not let Skywarp have his way.

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it? Is little Casseticon so tiny and helpless that his Master has to save him?" Skywarp smirked. Giggles were heard in the room as all optics landed on them. Frenzy looked murderous.

'_Frenzy: calm down.'_

'_But Boss-'_ Frenzy started indignantly.

'_Quiet. Soundwave, will solve this.'_ He felt Frenzy sulk and pinged Rumble to soothe him, who grudgingly agreed.

Soundwave repeated his previous statement: "Skywarp, desist. Release Frenzy."

"No." The purple Seeker stuck out a glossa.

"skywarp…" Soundwave intoned threateningly. He had no time for games.

Thundercracker chose that very moment to walk in, his wings high, clearly in a good mood – at least until he set his gaze on the scene in the room. He seemed decidedly puzzled. He took one look at Soundwave and Skywarp holding a wriggling Frenzy and strode right towards them. Thundercracker plucked Frenzy out of Skywarp's grasp, eliciting a dismayed yelp from both mechs. Soundwave still hadn't understood what was going on when Thundercracker held Frenzy out at him. He instinctively held out his servos and the hellion was dropped into his arms. The room went quiet as all mechs gaped at Thundercracker.

"T.C, what the hell?" Skywarp complained.

"Skywarp, do you really want a vengeful telepath going after you for hurting one of his Cassettes?" Thundercracker sighed.

Soundwave could see the ideas and thoughts forming inside Skywarp's processor, coming to a single conclusion. The purple mech turned, grumbled under his breath and stalked out. Simpletons were easy to predict.

He looked at Thundercracker with a questioning look. Said mech simply shrugged: "I'm just repaying a favour. Your shift is up,", and sat down at the monitors. He stood there staring at Thundercracker for a few seconds before deciding not to try to make sense of a Seeker's antics. He spared a glance backwards just as he left for the command room. Thundercracker's wings were stiff on his back and he refused to look at anybody else. Was he regretting his actions?

Soundwave didn't know what to think anymore.

* * *

><p>I've been feeling strangely productive lately. Probably because my holiday is about to end.<p>

Many thanks to tflover2.0, TFSTARFIRE for reviewing

Tinyterror, tflover2.0 thank you for favouriting my story

Dakyloquacious, Death Scribe, Tinyterror for following my story.

I truly appreciate it 3


	3. Chapter 3

**Marine Teals**

:asfdf: : comm link.

**Chapter 3**

Thundercracker nearly jumped out of his armour as a pair of red and grey arms latched tightly onto him. Letting out a frustrated growl, he tried to shake Sideswipe off before he attempt that blasted Jet Judo. How come almost every single raid those two hellions would try to rip his wings off while he was still using them? Was he that much of an easy target? Aggravation was an understatement as he looped and turned to get rid of unwanted baggage. Then Sideswipe started to claw at the undersides of his alt mode.

Note to self: rethink policy of instilling fear into your enemies. Be more like Megatron. Or Blitzwing. Or even Starscream. Any Deception who did not get Jet Judo - ed on a regular basis.

The blinding pain and sound of shattering glass announced to him that the red Autobot had punched a hole in his glass cockpit. Thundercracker spiralled desperately and felt the intruding hands grip tighter on his frame. Sideswipe raised a fist, preparing to smash his control panels.

Thundercracker heard an earsplitting shriek.

Out of nowhere, Laserbeak came into view and started to rain hell on Sideswipe, hitting him square in the chassis. Sideswipe plummeted to the ground with a scream. Thundercracker hadn't fully computed what was happening and was staring at the Autobot's departing fall when she squawked at him to pay attention to the battle. The aerial cassette stuck close to him for the remainder of the raid, even circling him protectively, watching for any potential "hitchhikers".

Thus, a very sore and confused Thundercracker flew across the battlefield, occasionally releasing shots on unsuspecting Autobots. Laserbeak NEVER helped him willingly before, yet here she was by his side like a guardian. He caught a glimpse of marine blue and noticed Soundwave watching him. The mech scanned his form quickly, then continued to conduct the raid. Was he searching for injuries?

:T.C!: Skywarp called through his comm. :Why is Soundwave's spy following ya?:

After the Stunticons incident, Thundercracker didn't speak to him for days. Skywarp, thinking that Thundercracker would simply forgive him like other times, had tried in vain to struck up a conversation. On the third day, the black and purple slagger, drenched from helm to pede with seawater, had trudged into the command room, offered him a cluster of red coral as an apology while wearing a kicked turbofox's face. It was hard to stay angry after that, no matter how much Thundercracker tried.

He contemplated ignoring Skywarp, just to show that he was still a little angry but then decided against it. Plus Skypwarp had been extra nice lately, but that wouldn't last long. The seeker was more irresponsible and childish than a sparkling.

:Beats me:

:Weird... Need my help?:

:Nah... She got rid of Sideswipe for me. Guess that means she won't stab my back. You go and mess with the 'Bots:

:Ahead of ya already.: The purple Seeker sound extremely gleeful.

When the raid ended, the Decepticons made off with quite a decent amount of energon, and Skywarp was waving around an arm suspiciously like Sideswipe's. The moment Megatron called retreat, the Aerial cassette left him for her master. Thundercracker tried to catch Soundwave's optics but it seemed the tapedeck was intent on ignoring him, keeping his gaze trained on Megatron.

* * *

><p>The teal seeker approached the surveillance systems with small, cautious steps. Perching on one monitor, Laserbeak watched him with the intensity of a turbofox preying on a glitchmouse. Thundercracker unsubspaced a small box containing a few energon treats he had sneaked from Skywarp's secret stash, placed one treat on his palm, then nervously stretched it towards Laserbeak in a silent offer. One wrong move and his servo would be gone for good.<p>

Laserbeak watched him until he began to shift. The cassette clucked then suddenly struck her head out in a flash, causing Thundercracker to jump a few feet into the air. Laserbeak plucked the treat from his hand and settled back. Taking this as a good sign, Thundercracker presented the whole box, placing it next to the avian cassette.

What was he doing, being all nice and shit? Giving gifts out of good will? That's the Autobots' job.

Laserbeak wasn't too threatening when she was eating treats, decided Thundercracker as he tilted his head to watch, a small smile slowly creeping onto his face.

"Laserbeak: accepts gratitude display."

He jumped. Damnit! Why did he always get sneaked on by Soundwave?

"Stop that!"

"Query: stop what?"

"Stop the sneaking! All that espionage and spying, it's unnerving!" He retrieved the empty box. "And she did help me during the raid, so I've got to thank her somehow."

He could still fell the amusement radiating from Soundwave as the mech opened his compartment. "Laserbeak, return." The cassette folded and docked, leaving the two mechs alone in the monitor room. Soundwave sat down and watched Thundercracker, subconsciously tracing and drawing random patterns on the keyboards. The seeker found himself staring at one mesmerizing blue servo, its long sleek digits circling and entwining in almost like a dance. Better than seeing a telepath staring at him with a penetrating gaze.

"Thundercracker, strange."

Thundercracker was startled at the sudden statement.

"Huh? How so?"

Soundwave canted his head slightly to the side, and Thundercracker knew he would die in the Pit because to him that act was almost _**adorable**_. "Gratitude, rare among Deceptions."

"... If being grateful is strange, then wouldn't you be the strangest? You helped me twice without asking for anything in return. Well, _**yet**_, that is. Somehow I feel like you won't use my misery to blackmail me. You told Laserbeak to watch me, didn't you?" He cut Soundwave off before the mech could speak. "And don't even bother to deny it, I can guess."

"Repeat of previous encounter, not welcomed." Thundercracker didn't need to be a genius to figure out which specific encounter Soundwave was alluding to. "Best avoided."

"Oh? And here I thought you are a bit more of an opportunist." The Seeker didn't know why but that stung. If he was that much of a problem, why not just leave him to cool off alone on that cliff? "You know, saving up favors to use against me when the time comes?"

The tapedeck stiffened, gave Thundercracker a searing glare as a silent "Get out" and the room fell into awkward silence. Thundercracker stood around a bit more, glaring back. Stubborn mech.

"Fine. If you want me gone that much, I'll go."

He strode towards the door and on second thought, called back when he was almost out.

"Whatever the reason, I appreciated the help. It saved me a lot of trouble. Happy monitoring."

He didn't saw the way Soundwave's nasal ridge turned the slightest shade of pink.

* * *

><p>Thundercracker was strolling the hallway when he saw Soundwave around the corner, carrying an enormous mountain of datapads. Astrotrain and Blitzwing suddenly rushed out right in front of the telepath from a nearby room.<p>

There was an ugly "CLANG" as Soundwave crashed headfirst onto the floor, sprawling datapads everywhere. The moment the two triplechangers noticed they who they had bumped into, they retreated with astonishing speed, not even bothering to look back. Thundercracker stared as Soundwave started to pushed himself up and quickly strode over.

Sucks to be a feared Deception officer huh. Other mechs wouldn't help you without a price. Now that he thought about it, Soundwave seemed kind of... lonely. At least Starscream had his trine. Beside the Cassetticons, the telepath didn't really have an equal to talk to.

Soundwave jolted when he saw the seeker approaching and eyed him warily. "Here." He held out a servo.

The blue tapedeck hesitated before grasping his servo and letting himself be pulled up. Thundercracker bent down to collect whatever datapads he could reach but he didn't give them back to Soundwave. The other mech gave him a questioning look and he just shrugged.

"Where are you heading off to?"

Soundwave tilted his head. Again. Intentionally or not, it's not normal for someone so stoic to do something so. Slagging. Adorable.

"Thundercracker, offering to carry?"

The teal Seeker smirked. "Let's just say I'm going in the same direction. Besides, carrying that many datapads is quite dumb. And," he paused, "I was a bit of an aft back there, so..." That was the closest to an apology Soundwave'd ever get.

He couldn't tell if Soundwave was happy, but he knew the tapedeck's mood seemed to lighten up.

"Apology accepted."

"Wha-What? I'm not apologising!" He stuttered.

Soundwave only hummed in response.

They walked at an unhurried pace. Thundercracker let Soundwave walk one step in front of him.

"So are we even now?"

"... Possibly."

* * *

><p>Soundwave placed his datapads onto an empty table in the Meeting room, Thundercracker following suit. They started filing the datapads onto one of the nearby data shelves and the room was completely silent, save for Thundercracker's occasional question about where to put something.<p>

Thundercracker was internally sweating if possible, and he cursed himself for trying to keep up a front. Being alone with a mindreader wasn't his cube of energon. After placing the last datapad onto the shelf, he dropped into a chair and slumped, sighing in relief.

"Energon?"

"Huh?" Thundercracker looked around, bewildered. Why'd there be energon in the Meeting room?

Soundwave pointed to a tiny energon dispenser.

Oh. He didn't remember that being here. Thundercracker never paid attention to the interior of the room since all he did during meetings was letting his mind float on the clouds. Soundwave probably mistook his sigh of relief for exhaustion. It was oddly caring, in a sense.

"No, I'm not underfueled or anything. I'll just go now." He moved to stand up.

Soundwave intoned in a voice that left no room for arguments. "Sit." He filled a minicube and handed it to Thundercracker. He shook his head and raised the cube towards the tapedeck. "No, I don't need it. You have it."

"Soundwave: insist."

"No, I'm ok."

"Drink."

"No, really." Why would Soundwave keep offering him energon?

Soundwave looked at the minicube in Thundercracker's hand, then back at him. His shoulders sagged a fraction and his visor dimmed to a soft, sad glow. He plucked the cube up in an almost sullen manner. Thundercracker might be presumptuous and he might be misreading because Soundwave was extremely hard to read, but it suddenly struck him as obvious.

Soundwave was trying to be nice. And he messed it up.

"Sorry." He mumbled apologetically and took the cube back. Thundercracker sat down and took a small sip. "You are just being nice, and I'm just being idiotic." The marine mech stared at him then lightly shook his head and settled down into a chair next to Thundercracker's. They sat in silence, Thundercracker drinking and Soundwave simply watching him. It was a nice mid-grade that left a subtle warmth on its way down, and Thundercracker was almost glad he accepted the offer. Not that he _**liked**_ it or anything.

He placed the emptied cube down and threw a glance at the other mech. "It's... um... quite nice but... uh... I think we should leave. I don't think Megatron will be very pleased to know we hang out in this place."

As they walked out into the hallway, Thundercracker heard the familiar crackling sound that accompanied Skywarp's teleportations. He quickly shoved Soundwave out of arm's reach, then a "VOP" resounded.

A thick curtain of bright neon green paint came showering on the place where Soundwave had previously been, which was where he currently stood. Thundercracker was covered head-to-pede in the slagging substance. Soundwave was unaffected, luckily. Looking behind, he found a gaping Skywarp holding a bucket.

"Thundercracker? What, I thought-"

"SkyWAAAAARP!" Thundercracker hissed though gritted denta. He was going to kill Skywarp. Skywarp warped immediately. Thundercracker was not known for his violence but he could be quite ruthless when he was angered. Damn moronic pea-brained fragface, trying to prank others again!

As he ran past Soundwave to chase the purple slagger, he said to the confused tapedeck.

"You owe me big time for this."

And the entire Nemesis got to see Thundercracker's homicidal side again.

* * *

><p>The teal seeker almost peeled down the door to his shared quarter with his Trine in his attempt to reach Skywarp. Said mech was cowering behind a very irritated Starscream who had his servos firmly planted on his hips.<p>

"Move. Aside." Thundercracker gritted out.

"No! What is the meaning of all this fuss? And why are you covered in glowing green paint?!" Starscream screeched. He seemed more irritated than usual. Maybe his daily schemes to overthow Ol' Buckethead failed again, or maybe he was just PMSing, whatever the Pit that human slang meant. He only knew that female organics became angry very easily if they were referred to with this term, so it must've been equivalent to a really rude insult to femmes. Come to think of it, Starscream was like a femme... a very ugly, macho femme with the most annoying cadence ever existed.

"Well, cack-handed Warp here tried to throw his bucket of paint on Soundwave but I got to be the victim instead. So now I'd like to offline him if you don't mind."

"That's not an excuse! Do you know what you've done? I swear why do I have to deal with you idiots on a daily basis! All the crap I have to go through... "

Thundercracker tuned him out at his point. Starscream's one to talk... He could still remember how the tricolor seeker had screeched when Skywarp painted his pedes a glorious shade of pink. Everyone in a 200m radius had to have their audio receptors reset. And Primus was he still ranting? If Starscream was a femme, he'd be a very ugly, nagging wife, like some of those humans he saw on this thing called "TV". Wait... Then Megatron'd be the abusive husband... The entire Decepticon army would be an extremely dysfunctional family, with the soldiers as children. Children with multiple personality disorders, anger management issues, murder obsession, Down syndrome and over-the-top selfishness... He'd be the nerd, he supposed, and Soundwave would be the antisocial loner...

Thundercracker snorted at those ridiculous thoughts. He'd been watching too much of those human entertainments. The shrill sound of Starscream's voice brought him back to the present.

"... You're not listening, aren't you? Skywarp, stop hiding behind me and explain yourself!"

"T.C had to get in the way! The paint was meant for Soundwave!" Skywarp squawk indignantly. "He didn't have to push him away and take the paint on himself! And why the hell were you with that creep in the first place?"

"Wait, you were with SOUNDWAVE?!" Starscream screamed. True to his name.

"Stop being so loud, you're tearing a hole in my audio receptors..." Thundercracker mumbled.

"What'd you say? Why you..."

"Look, he wasn't threatening me or anything. We just happened to be going in the same direction, and since he had some problems with the datapads I figure I'd help him carry them for a bit." He intentionally left our most of the important details, like how Soundwave got bumped into, him helping the tapedeck organize the datapads and him being offered energon. The shocked looks on his trinemates' faces was enough proof that his decision had been wise.

"You were _**helping**_ him?" They exclaimed.

Oops. "Uhm... Nnn-ye-ah? F - forget it."

"I told you not to associate yourself with him! He's a psychopath who will do anything to remain in Megatron's good graces. It's not worth the risk being nice to him." Starscream pinched his nasal ridge.

Thundercracker was getting tired of this ridiculous conversation. He should have just said the easy way out. "I told you he didn't do anything. It was just a kind of payment. He helped before so I don't want to be in his debt."

"Him helping you? He's definitely plotting something. Stay away from him T.C!"

"You're the one I need to get away from, Skywarp. And I don't think he's plotting anything. Am I the only mech on the Nemesis who actually believe in gratitude? Like, you know, actually _**helping**_ others?"

"Don't get near him. It's for your own good. And I still haven't forget that time when you sought out Soundwave in the morning and had morning fuel with him," said Starscream.

They were _**watching**_ him that time? Thundercracker was generally quite patient but this talk was blowing his fuse quickly. They were being completely irrational.

"I'll associate with whomever I wish, help whoever I want, thank you very much. You're not my creators, so don't tell me what to do."

And with that he stormed out to take a shower and a much needed flight, ignoring the indignant yelps his trinemates made. Another moment in this room and he might strangle some mech.

When he returned, Starscream opened his mouth but he silenced him with a single glare.

* * *

><p>Thundercracker was noticing a certain pattern in his encounters with Soundwave in the last couple of days.<p>

After the paint incident (he still hadn't received an apology from the perpetrator), Soundwave had been staring at him a lot, well at least he thought so. He would be standing around, minding his own business, then suddenly he would feel the weight of a gaze on his back. He would turn around and would always saw Soundwave nearby, but he could never caught the telepath looking at him.

And then there was the time when Thundercracker wanted to fly but the shuttle hatch was keyed shut, and the mech on watch had just left to get a late energon snack. Unluckily, the control panels were locked. He had waited for half an hour before almost storming off in frustration when Soundwave rounded the corner. He spotted the teal seeker hovering near the hatch and walked over, keyed in the password and strode away without a single word.

The next day, during morning energon, Blitzwing and Astrotrain were hanging out in front of the energon dispenser, and Soundwave didn't look too thrilled to get close, the antisocial telepath he was (not that he had a say, since he wasn't the most social either). As a thank you, Thundercracker shoved the two triplechangers out of the way, filled two cubes and handed Soundwave one. The cassette player was surprised at first but recovered quickly and nodded his silent thanks.

After that, Soundwave handed him a small can of paint without any explanation, with which he scrawled "Have anyone seen my CPU?" onto Skywarp's wings when he was napping. It was fun seeing the entire Nemesis laugh at the clueless purple seeker.

Thundercracker pulled a kicking and cussing Frenzy away from Scrapper and Hoist.

Soundwave snuck him out of the Nemesis for a midnight flight.

It was… weird, like a strange exchange. This weird game of gratitude was driving him crazy.

"This has to stop."

Soundwave looked at him, uncomprehending. They were alone in the monitor room, Soundwave being on duty.

"Elaborate."

"This… this weird gratitude thing between us… It's getting out of hand."

"Soundwave, dislike being in debt."

Thundercracker scrunched up his nose. The problem was that they were both stubborn and hated being in other's debt. Then suddenly an idea struck him. "Well, same here, but it's getting kind of annoying. How about I make a proposal?"

"… Proceed."

"Whenever I help you, you'll have morning energon with me. Whenever you help me, I'll help you with the datapads. We can choose the time when the other have to do the return favors."

The tapedeck kept silent for a while until Thundercracker began to fidget uncomfortably. Maybe because he was always with boisterous, loud and rude mechs like his trinemates that the seeker couldn't deal well with Soundwave's silence. Perhaps he was wrong when asking Soundwave to fuel in the morning. He didn't know what hit him then.

He mumbled when the silence became too much to bear. "You know what, forget it."

"… Terms, acceptable."

He jerked up to look at Soundwave's face, carefully devoid of all emotion. The atmosphere in the room seemed to lift.

"Really?"

"Affirmative."

"… Don't go back on your words."

Soundwave tilted his head, the light behind his visor mild. Thundercracker mentally smacked himself. He would go to the Pit, he was certain now.

* * *

><p>This one is quite a long chapter as a compensation for me disappearing for so long.<br>Thank you all of those who followed, faved and reviewed. It motivates me a lot.

Until next time. Bye.


	4. Chapter 4

**Marine Teals**

**Chapter 4**

The Decepticons were preparing for their next raid, as energon supplies had been consumed past the halfway mark. The next day, there'd be a strategy in the Meeting room. Almost every mech onboard the Nemesis were bragging about how they'd be kicking some Autobot booty in a few days, many glad for a chance to wreck havoc on their enemies.

Soundwave loved late night trips outside the Nemesis. It gave him a chance to relax and wind down from the ship's hectic bustle and allowed his symbiotes to play and satisfy their curiosity. They were sparked for spywork and espionage after all, which meant a lot of exploring and moving about, not staying cooped up in one place for a long time.

He was sitting on a fallen tree on the same cliff where he met Thundercracker a couple of weeks ago, by some strange coincidence. Although the dominant organics on this mudball of a planet were annoying and better off extinct, he couldn't help admire Earth's landscapes and scenery. They were so very different from Cybertron's, which were entirely composed of metal and crystals. The night sky was a vast black dotted with tiny freckles of gold, a lone glowing crescent moon punctuating the pitch darkness. Soundwave languidly stretched his body and settled back with one leg slightly drawn up, sighing in contentment.

Distantly he wondered what Thundercracker was doing at the moment.

It was strange to him that he pondered such a thing. He never cared before, so why now? Thundercracker was like the rest of the Deceptions who paid him no attention and Soundwave had been fine not paying attention to any of them. What made it different this time? Did their recent encounters change fundamental things? He picked up a pebble, letting it roll around in his palm, hearing the sound of his Cassetticons squabbling in the distance. His mind wandered back to "that" offer.

Oh whatever. No use ruining a beautiful night with useless thoughts. Might as well enjoy the tranquility. The tapedeck leaned back to watch Laserbeak and Buzzsaw circling the sky.

A familiar voice broke the silence.

"Hey."

Thundercracker.

Soundwave turned to see the seeker walking towards him. He must've landed somewhere else and trekked here, since Soundwave hadn't heard the sound of jet thrusters. Thundercracker gestured at the fallen tree. "Mind if I sit?"

Soundwave scooted to the side to save room, and the teal mech plopped down. He took acre not to make physical contact with the Seeker unless absolutely necessary, like... like "that" time. Aaaaarghhh, so embarrassing... "Scenery viewing, I take it?"

"Thundercracker, reason for not being with Command Trine members?"

Thundercracker's smile dropped. "We haven't been... getting along lately. I want to get away for a while." The Seeker's voice was strained and he seemed uncomfortable talking about it. "They are being irrational and unnecessarily demanding." Soundwave decided not to dwell further. He just nodded and returned his gaze to the Aerial Twin. "Thundercracker's objective?"

"I'm not planning anything really." Thundercracker scratched his neck. His wings trembled and spread then resumed their previous position on the seeker's back. "Just going for a cruise, then I spotted you. I figure I'd stay with you for a bit just to annoy you."

The tapedeck held in the urge to snort cynically. "Noble intentions." When Thundercracker didn't respond for nearly a minute, Soundwave glanced sideways only to find himself being gaped at.

"Whoa. Did you...?" Thundercracker blinked in shock. "Did you just make a _**joke**_?"

Soundwave just looked at him.

Thundercracker suddenly burst into laughter. A rich mirthful sound filled the air, pleasantly low and rumbling. Soundwave found that he liked it, more than he should, and that he liked seeing a happy Thundercracker. Better than a moping seeker he supposed.

"Oh mech, I don't even... Wow. Now I'm sure something is wrong. You making a joke is like the end of Cybertron." He wiped at his optics.

Soundwave's good mood dissipated and he turned away. The mech didn't have to put it like that. He couldn't help it if his sense of humor was a little different and if every mech in existence considered him dry and humorless. Thundercracker was laughing at the fact that he jested instead of the jest itself, and it stung.

"Soundwave?" Thundercracker ventured but was promptly ignored. He tried a few times and was met with silence. "Oi! At least acknowledge me speaking to you!"

No answer.

"Slag... I'm sorry for making fun of you, OK? Who would've thought you are this touchy, jeez..." Thundercracker grumbled in annoyance. "What the Pit are you doing here anyways?"

"... Relaxing. Cassetticons, need break and recreation time."

"Huh. You're like their creator, in a sense. You know, taking care of them, keeping them out of trouble, taking them out to play... Wait, are you? What's the bond between you and the midgets like? Do you... spark bond?" Thundercracker raised a placating servo when Soundwave gave him a questioning look. He had a hunch that the teal Seeker could partially read his mood (only a small part, though, since his visor and facemask removed most clues). "Just curious. Haven't seen a lot of carrier models so what I know is mostly rumours. I think the only ones I've seen are you and that irritating red Autobot in the Communication department. Blaster, was it?"

Thundercracker was an outsider to carrier culture, therefore it was understandable that he had some misconceptions. "Negative. Symbiont-carrier bond differs from spark bond and creator-sparkling bond. Emotional sharing similar to spark bond but no physical afflictions. Meaning, death of one will affect others mentally, not physically. Pain is felt by all however." Ravage pinged him inquiringly about Thundercracker's presence, and if it bothered him. He replied with a negative. "Symbionts, not sparked by carrier, but acquired through mutual trust and affection."

"... Then the two midgets, the kitty and the two birdies are... recruited by you? Is that a similar word?"

Soundwave scrunched his faceplate at the inappropriate terms used to refer to his symbionts. Not that Thundercracker could see it. "Negative. Symbionts, scouted by carrier, who expresses the wish to form bond. If symbionts agree, they spend time together. If mutual trust and affection are present, bond is formed."

"I think I get some part of it." Thundercracker leaned back and closed one optic, keeping the other on Soundwave. "How did..." He could never finish his question as Rumble and Frenzy chose that very moment to throw themselves onto the Seeker's frame, Rumble clinging to his neck and Frenzy latching onto a leg.

"Get away from Boss!" They yelled in unison. Soundwave froze on the spot, not knowing what to do as Thundercracker struggled to get the two hellions off him.

He saw Ravage slank into view and questioned him with a slightly irritated voice. '_Ravage.'_

_'Apologies, Master. They refused to listen.'_

Soundwave turned back to find the three had resorted to a wrestling match in the dirt. Which wasn't really a match, mostly Rumble trying to strangle Thundercracker with his tiny arms, Frenzy biting his captured leg and the unfortunate victim thrashing on the ground. Thundercracker looked extremely pissed, though, so Soundwave planted both servos on his hips and said in a no - nonsense tone.

"Rumble. Frenzy." To reinforce his message, he sent a burst of anger as a warning through their shared bond. "Desist."

The twins blinked up at him, then slowly and reluctantly peeled themselves away from Thundercracker. Thundercracker pushed himself into an upright position, rubbing his neck and massaging his bitten leg. He growled at Rumble and Frenzy, and the two bared their dentas back.

Savages.

"Cassetticons, return to Nemesis."

Rumble and Frenzy immediately broke out in loud protests.

"But Boss! You can't seriously expect us to walk back, can you? Laserbeak and Buzzsaw can fly, Ravage can sprint, we'd have to go on pede! It'll take forever!"

"Orders given."

"But..." They whined in unison, sending a wave of guilt and apology to him. Which was probably fake. He was sure they weren't the least bit sorry for what they had done.

"Actions, hostile and unacceptable. Discipline needed."

"Just kick them in the nuts if you ask me." The Seeker huffed.

Soundwave raised a hand to silence the mech before fixing the twin with a pointed glare. Seeing that no amount of acting could change his mind, they deflated.

"Fine fine, we're going."

"But we're still watching you. We'll be watching closely." Frenzy emphasized by pointing two digits at his own optics then jabbing them at Thundercracker's direction.

The tapedeck shooed them off. The Cassetticons hadn't disappeared from his vision when he heard Frenzy asking Buzzsaw for a lift. He turned back to Thundercracker and offered a servo. The mech didn't take it though, instead draped his torso across the fallen tree, face facing the sky.

"Thundercracker's previous query?"

"... Forget about it. I was being nosy."

They watched the night sky in comfortable silence after that. Thundercracker hummed something under his breath and Soundwave had to turn his audios up to full capacity to catch what it was. It was a simple but smooth melody, and quite catchy too. He internally mapped the scores for the melody for future reference.

"Do I really have to attend that strategy meeting tomorrow? They're insanely boring. It's not like I do something useful there. Mostly giving Starscream moral support or fooling around." Thundercracker brushed off some dirt that had gotten on his chassis in the brawl.

"Attendance of Seeker Command Trine, compulsory."

"Frag."

"Strategy meeting, too much to handle?" Soundwave teased. Thundercracker glowered.

"You wish."

* * *

><p>Soundwave dutifully handed Megatron the datapad containing the information of the location of the Decepticons' next raid. Starscream was standing to his right, stylus in hand, giving the warlord a brief overview of their destination.<p>

"... The oil refinery is located in a barren area, surrounded by high mountains and various deep creeks and valleys. It's quite a rough region, rocky and liable to cave-ins. We'll have to be extra careful here, and maybe we could use this area's geography to our own advantage." Starscream flicked the stylus across the screen, which was currently projecting a picture of the oil refinery plant that he had taken on his scout.

"The battle plans, Starscream. I do not want to hear insignificant little details unless they affect the outcome of the raid." Megatron leaned back in his chair, tapping the edge of the datapad. He turned to Soundwave and the tapedeck could see the tri-colored seeker visibly bristled at having his attention stolen. "Soundwave, get me some energon."

"As you wish, Lord Megatron, although it would be in your - the Decepticons' - best interest to pay attention to such _**insignificant**_ details."

He made a beeline for the energon dispenser at the corner. He kept only half an audio on Starscream's plans, knowing that Megatron would soon force the seeker to make changes. After all, what mattered to him was the final scheme, not the squabble, so he turned to observe the mechs in the room instead. Most of the mechs were doing their best to keep up with the discussion, occasionally answering Megatron if addressed without looking too bored. Thundercracker wasn't even trying. His optics were half-lid, his mouth was slightly open, he nodded off every now and then and a snore could be heard during those times. It was unacceptably sloppy for a Decepticon to behave like that in a meeting. At least he had the decency to sleep in an upright position, but still.

So he got the energon and, on his way back, jabbed at Thundercracker's left side with supernatural speed.

The effect was instantaneous. Thundercracker bolted upright out of his seat, looking around with a bewildered expression just in time to see the cassette master walking away. All mechs in the room broke out in hysterical laughter, even Soundwave grinned under his mask. He set the minicube down in front of Megatron, who was looking at the teal seeker pointedly.

"Pray tell, what do you think you're doing?"

Thundercracker fumbled for an explanation, faceplate red from embarrassment. "My Lord, I -"

"Sit down and stop making a fool of yourself, you're wasting my time." Megatron growled. Thundercracker swallowed and did just that, throwing a hateful glare at Soundwave who simply stared back impassively. The laughter died down immediately.

The meeting continued on, and Soundwave's mind started to wander.

"... So that is the plan." Starscream said proudly.

"Soundwave, calculate the chance of success."

He took a moment to run all possible scenarios through his processor. "68%, my Lord."

"Not good enough. At least 75%. Starscream, adjust it. Put all Seekers on the front line. Double the defence here. Place the triplechangers there."

"You realise that if we were to do it your way, oh Wise and Glorious Leader, we'd have to execute the plan with extreme speed. We can't afford to drag things out, which would be impossible given the incompetence of the crew." Starscream's voice was dripping with sarcasm. Megatron was obviously suppressing the urge to smack his Second in Command upside the helm.

"Then I suggest you try your best to manage your troops." Megatron's voice had a sharp edge to it and all mechs in the room swallowed at the subtle threat. He snapped his digits at Soundwave to refill his cube, then returned to arguing with Starscream over the raid details.

Apparently Soundwave had underestimated a Seeker's ability to hold a grudge because as he passed by Thundercracker's position to deliver the newly retrieved energon, he felt a servo pinch his aft. Hard.

Soundwave gave a yelp that was too feminine for his liking.

The entire room stared at the blue tapedeck then exploded in maniacal laughter. They even imitated the sound he made, albeit in a more audio-grating, high-pitched voice. Face burning with shame, Soundwave plunked the minicube down and sat down quickly while trying to retain as much composure as possible. Thundercracker was sniggering wickedly. If he could glare laser beams, the idiot's helm would have fallen off by now.

The Warlord was eyeing him with a weird look.

"What in Unicron's name is wrong with you lot today?"

"Lord Megatron - "

"I don't want to know." Megatron said matter-of-factly. "Do not go insane on me, Soundwave. I've got enough crazy seekers to deal with."

All Seekers in the room gave an indignant retort. "Lord Megatron, what does that have to do with us?!"

"Silence!" They shut up immediately. "Proceed, Starscream."

For the rest of the meeting, Soundwave pinned the teal seeker with a searing glare and the damned mech just stared back in a haughty you-asked-for-it manner.

No way in the Pit was Soundwave helping Thundercracker again.

* * *

><p>Soundwave dove behind a giant boulder. The ground beneath him was shaking, threatening to crumble at any moment. Starscream had told them how fragile the earth was in this area. It can hold up against humans but not the weight of a few dozen fully-grown Cybertronians.<p>

An explosion at close proximity rattled his extremely sensitive audios, throwing him off balance, and sending Soundwave crashing into a nearby rock formation. He quickly scrambled to his pedes and plastered his frame again the rocks. He aimed his blaster at Brawl and successfully took him down with a single shot.

The raid had proceeded as planned, the Autobots had shown up as planned, they had fought as expected. What Soundwave hadn't expected was Skywarp dropping a missile near him. He had brushed it of as a accident but after the third time, he started to suspect a sabotage. It was possible Skywarp was holding a grudge against him, about what he hadn't the slightest clue. However, a grudge that led to Soundwave fighting Autobots and running away from explosions at the same time had to be a deep, hateful one.

A purple blur zipped through the air, and the marine cassette master made a dive just before another missile was deployed a few hundred metres from his position. Debris and stones rained down in a cloud or sand and dust. Soundwave hissed when the rocks hit him and moved his arms to shield his helm and visor. At this rate he was going to get _**killed**_ before the raid even ended. A buzz on his commlink announced that the Decepticons had gathered a sufficient amount of energon. Through the cloud of dust, Soundwave squinted to see Skywarp land on top of a dirt mound. Thank Primus he was out of missiles.

He peeked out to survey the surrounding and froze when a screaming Rumble threw himself at the purple Seeker.

_'Rumble, desist!'_ He frantically pinged. Rumble was going to be hurt!

_'He's deliberately throwing explosives at you!' _Rumble was fuming with rage as he went for Skywarp's optics. The tapedeck watched in horror as Skywarp struggled to get a grip on Rumble then flung the tiny mech full-strength into a rock wall. Pain bloomed from Rumble's side of the bond.

Soundwave saw red.

Before he could control himself, his carrier protocol kicked in: he locked onto Skywarp and pulled the trigger without a second thought. Skywarp came down with a scream. Distantly Soundwave registered the Autobots gaping at him and desperately tried to calm his raging protocols.

Suddenly an energy bolt hit him and a searing pain shot through his entire frame. The tapedeck gave a pained cry, feeling the ground underneath him crumbling. Thundercracker chose that very moment to charge into him with a furious battle cry.

The last thing he could remember before he fell into stasis was a crushing weight on him, the earth sinking, falling deep down, then pitch black.

* * *

><p>I'm horrible at writing cliffhangers.<p>

I like a slowly developing relationship, not love at first sight, so expect a very long fic. Guess it's a good thing for some of you cuz, you know, more to read? XD

Thanks to all those who faved, followed and reviewed. I really appreciate it.

Bye bye bye!


	5. Chapter 5

**Marine Teals**

:asdffgh: comm link

**Chapter 5**

The first thing Thundercracker noticed when he onlined was the darkness surrounding him. The next thing he noticed was a weight on his chassis and sharp rocks pressed against his back. Soundwave was sprawled on top of him, unmoving, his visor black. Out cold, huh.

He twisted his helm to inspect their situation. Rocky walls met him on four sides, occasionally pebbles and dust would fall from the "ceiling". Due to the cave-in, they were trapped in one of the "pockets" Starscream had mentioned about. The space was very cramped, just wide enough for his wings to fit. Thundercracker recalled how the two of them got here in the first place and felt a surge of anger towards the mech currently on top of him. It was all his fault.

He hissed and shook Soundwave. "Get off me!" When he received no reply, Thundercracker snaked his servos under the other's armpits and tried to push him off but the mech wouldn't even budge. Strange. A mech with a frame similar to Soundwave's shouldn't be this heavy. He flailed his hands behind the tapedeck and Thundercracker's spark chilled when he found rocks - boulders - wedged on Soundwave's back.

Soundwave's visor flickered online, but the glow was very weak, a barely-there light. His voice was very shaky.

"Th - Thundercracker?"

"Soundwave." The teal seeker tried to sound calm. "There are... obstacles on you. Stay still so I can get rid of them."

Thundercracker wound his arms around Soundwave and started to push the boulders off the tapedeck's trembling frame. When a particularly heavy rock rolled off to the side, Soundwave jerked violently and gave a pained whimper. Long digits dug into his shoulders and as soon as the rest of the rocks were gone, he pulled the other frame flush against his own, rubbing comforting patterns on the other's back. He cringed when he felt the stickiness of energon. These were horrible dents.

Soundwave was... surprisingly fragile.

"Sshh sshh ssshhh... " He shushed at the distressed mech, momentarily forgetting his anger. After a short while, the shaking stopped, and he pulled away to look into Soundwave's visor.

"Okay?"

"... Affirmative."

"Come on, we've got to get out."

He began to feel the walls while Soundwave leaned back against the rocks, rubbing at the dents on his arm. From what he could see, Soundwave was in quite bad shape. He himself only had a few small dents and cracks. After 5 minutes and finding nothing, he growled in frustration and threw his arms up exasperatedly.

"Any idea how to get out?"

"... Negative. Survey of position: a slab of stone currently blocks the exit, preventing stones above from falling down. Removal, dangerous."

"Great. _**Great!**_ We can't do anything. My comm's useless and I'm betting yours is the same. Can you use your link with the Cassettes to get us out?"

Soundwave was silent for a few minutes. "Our location, unknown to Autobots, meaning chance of capture: minimal."

"So that means they found a way to pretend we had left." A nod confirmed his theory.

"Rescue, due in five hours."

"_**THAT**_ long?!"

"Presence of Autobots, must be eliminated."

"They're waiting for the Bots to vacate the area, forget we exist, then dig us up. Just perfect. This is all your fault, just so you know."

"Negative." Soundwave's visor light narrowed into slits. "Thundercracker, attacked Soundwave. Caused the cave-in."

"You attacked Skywarp!" Thundercracker yelled. "You freaking _**SHOT**_ him! I don't care if he's an aft and a processor-dead moron, he's still my trinemate, and I sure as **Pit** won't stand to see someone attack him!" He jabbed a digit at Soundwave's chest compartment, making the tapedeck stumble backwards.

"Skywarp, attacked Rumble!" That was the first time he heard Soundwave raised his voice. He was breathing hard, his visor blazing with some unknown emotion other than apathy.

"What?"

"Skywarp, causing trouble for Soundwave by firing missiles near Soundwave's location. Rumble, angered, tried to attack Skywarp when he transformed into mech mode. Skywarp hurt Rumble. Soundwave..." The tapedeck sighed tiredly. "Carrier protocol, triggered. Reaction, reflex."

"You're lying."

"Negative."

Thundercracker remembered explosions, though he never wondered exactly _**who**_ they were aimed at. Then there was Skywarp flinging the Cassetticon into the rocks. So that was what it was all about. He refused to believe it all, since lies came easily and naturally for Decepticons.

"...Fine. I'll let it go for now." There was always time to find out later. "Just because we are staying here for a while and I don't want too much hard feelings between us."

The atmosphere soon turned awkward.

"Thundercracker's right wing, dented." Soundwave said softly.

"Oh, it's nothing". He brushed it off. "You're worse than I am. I can still fly if I need to. Are we going to stand here until help arrives or are we going to sit, 'cause my legs are starting to hurt."

"Space, insufficient."

There was enough space for only one mech to sit, which means...

... Primus help him for coming up with this idea. There was no way Soundwave would comply, unless he was taken by surprise.

"Hey Soundwave, what is that over there?"

The tapedeck turned towards where Thundercracker was pointing. An opening.

Thundercracker promptly sat down, grabbed Soundwave's wrist and yanked him down onto his lap, back-to-chassis. He wrapped his arms around the navy mech's waist and settled his helm in the crook of Soundwave's neck. Soundwave yelped in pain when his back made contact with the teal Seeker's front. He tensed up and started to thrash, but the lack of space and Thundercracker's iron hold soon deterred him.

"Thundercracker?"

"What?" Thundercracker inhaled the scent that was uniquely Soundwave's. A strange blend of energon, dirt and flora permeated his olfactory senses.

"Explain action immediately." Soundwave's visor glowed ominously.

"It's warmer this way. Besides, we have no space so we'll both be comfy like this." It was true, at least most of it. His hot breath ghosted near Soundwave's audio receptors and he shivered slightly. The tapedeck turned to get a better look at Thundercracker and nearly jumped out of Thundercracker's arms when his lower left leg scraped against the Seeker's inner calf.

Squinting in the darkness, Thundercracker could slowly made out the outline of Soundwave's damaged leg. A palm-sized piece of plating had been torn off, exposing mangled, burnt wiring underneath. Looked like Thundercracker got him bad. He sat silently for a while and watched drops of energon slowly leak out from the broken fuel lines.

Soundwave's breath was hitching now, his armor too feverish for comfort. The energon loss must be taking a toll on him. He suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

"Sorry," he mumbled, burying his face in Soundwave's back, taking care not to scrape against the dents. He was glad their current position hid his faceplate from the other's view. "Shouldn't have shot you. I screwed up big time, didn't I? Megatron is going to be so furious he'd probably offline me." Thundercracker bit his lower derma. How much time did they have? Would he still be alive after Megatron punished him? His arms tightened around Soundwave's waist as he thought of the worst.

Soundwave let out a small sigh and cautiously leaned against Thundercracker, tilting his helm backwards to rest lightly on his shoulder. "Thundercracker's survival: certain. Seekers, too valuable to Deception cause."

Thundercracker snorted. "He beats Starscream on a regular basis. What makes you think I'd get a better treatment?"

"Fact: Starscream, attempted treason and tried to overturn Megatron numerous times, yet never deactivated. Seeker Trines: tactical advantage. Trine: three Seekers required. Also, Soundwave partially at fault. Attacking Skywarp, unwise. Consequences, possibly worse." Soundwave's helm lowered in a uncharacteristic display of unease. "Punishment, unavoidable."

"Hey, hey", the blue Seeker pinched Soundwave's side, eliciting a startled yelp from the tapedeck. " You're gonna be fine. You're his most treasured soldier. I mean, you're a mech too, not Primus, so you're bound to slip up sometimes. Besides," he added, grinning, " you have me as a partner in suffering. It's a mighty fine day to die if I do say so myself."

Soundwave quietly glowered for a few minutes before shaking his helm. "Immature."

"Telepath."

They settled into companionable silence after that, simply waiting for their rescue. The constant heat radiating from Soundwave's frame and the soft hum of his machines was soothing, and Thundercracker couldn't help but notice how... trusting their position seemed. In normal circumstances Soundwave would never act this way. Maybe the fatigue was getting the better of him, or maybe Soundwave did trust him to an extent. The last few weeks had been strange but fun, and he felt he and Soundwave had come to an understanding. Of course there were still awkwardness but they were getting along. Was it presumptuous of him to think they were friends?

It was quite shameful to admit but he enjoyed the feeling of a warm frame in his arms.

Soundwave's visor dimmed to a soft glow, the lights behind flickering and weakening by the second. His body sagged against Thundercracker's for support and his ventilations slowed.

" Come on, rest. It'll do you good. I'll wake you when they come." The Seeker urged.

Soundwave gave an almost imperceptible nod as his visor lights sputtered out for good and his frame went limp. Thundercracker waited until he was sure Soundwave was in deep recharge before carefully pulling him closer and arranging his limbs into a more comfortable position. He shifted the blue helm so that Soundwave's face was turned with his battlemask brushing against his own neck cables. Thundercracker gave the helm a small pat then sighed. The tiny crevice was in complete darkness now, save for the faint glow of his optics.

* * *

><p>Thundercracker jolted awake when he heard shuffling from above. He checked his internal chronometers and found nearly a joor had passed, meaning he must've dozed off. He gently nudged Soundwave.<p>

" Get up. They're here."

No response.

"Soundwave?"

Oh no.

He frantically shook the tapedeck. "Come on, get up!"

A tiny flicker of light answered him and he watched the glow of Soundwave's visor brighten up slowly as his systems lazily onlined. Soundwave lightly tugged at him to release his hold, then pushed himself up. Thundercracker quickly stood to steady the tapedeck's wobbly stance, one arm securely wound around a slim waist. He quickly dropped his arm and Soundwave immediately put what little distance he could between them when the boulders above cleared away, blinding them with sunlight. It took a few seconds for both to adjust their optics.

"There you are slaggers." Starscream's faceplate popped into view, his optic ridges drawn together tightly. He leaned into the crevice and extended a servo for Thundercracker to grasp. "Megatron's one unhappy camper, just so you know. Hook might have to stitch you and the blue glitch over there from pieces when he's done with you two." Starscream said as he pulled Thundercracker out of the crevice.

"Wait, you're the only one on the rescue party?"

"Megatron thinks one is enough. Since you two fragfaces get yourselves into this mess in the first place, it's only fitting you get yourselves out."

The teal-tinted blue Seeker blanched.

"Come on, let's get back. Megatron doesn't like to wait." The tricolor mech fired up his thrusters and moved to take off when Thundercracker called him back.

"Wait! What about Soundwave? Help me get him out!"

Starscream's optics narrowed. "Fragger shot Skywarp _**and**_ gets you into trouble. What makes you think I'll help him? Leave him be, he can get himself out." He blasted off before Thundercracker could utter another word.

He heard the sound of crumbling rocks followed by a large thud and quickly strode to the crevice opening only to find Soundwave lying in a crumpled heap, his back against the hard rocks. It seemed like the cassette master had tried to climb out of his imprisonment but failed miserably. Thundercracker stifled a snicker as he reached as deep as possible into the crevice.

"Here, klutz."

Soundwave glared at him with the intensity of the smoldering Pit, making him just a tiny bit queasy. After what felt like ages, Soundwave finally grabbed his servo and gently tugged as a silent request for help. About midway up, he lost his footing and nearly pulled Thundercracker down with him.

"You still able to fly?" He hauled the blue tapedeck to his pedes, drawing a pained whimper when Soundwave landed on his injured leg. In the daylight, Thundercracker could see the full extent of the damage on Soundwave's frame and his spark sank. They'd better be quick or he'd have a half-dead mech on him.

Soundwave checked and keened in distress as one of his built-in thrusters were damaged.

"... Negative." Soundwave breathed out an enduring sigh. Thundercracker thought for a moment. He COULD just ditch Soundwave here and fly back first but he would feel very guilty afterwards for making an incapacitated mech walk miles to base.

"Transform."

"Pardon?"

"I said transform into your alt mode."

" Thundercracker, expecting Soundwave to return in cassette player mode?"

"No you idiot. I am going to carry you back in my aerial mode, so transform already. We haven't got all day."

Soundwave stared at him as if searching for something. Thundercracker snorted. Always so suspicious. "I'm not going to drop you OK? I'm not Starscream."

"Soundwave's intended location?"

He hadn't thought about that or rather didn't want to think about it. Frankly, the only answer scared him. "Well... Maybe in my cockpit?"

The tapedeck shuffled his pedes only marginally but it was enough to show how much the idea unnerved him. " Cockpit: house to Spark chamber... personal. Sacred to Seeker Trine. Soundwave, does not wish to intrude."

Thundercracker was baffled. Most grounders never bothered to understand Seeker culture, thinking that they were vain and hypocritical. Soundwave was quite considerate for a non-seeker.

"It's ok, I'll manage. I'm tough as nails." He flashed the marine mech what he deemed an assuring grin. "Besides, you don't want to _**walk**_ all the way back to base, do you?"

"Reason for worry: not just physical wellbeing."

"... Just do it."

"Alternatives, not available?"

"I could carry you and fly back with my thrusters but that would take forever. Making Megatron impatient is... unwise."

"But..."

"Look, I'm just as intimidated by this ... arrangement as you are but we've no choice, so let's just get this over with."

Soundwave went stiff for a click, then initiated his transformation sequence. His frame begin to fold and fold, becoming smaller and smaller and in a few seconds, a battered cassette player was lying where Soundwave previously stood. Thundercracker had always wondered how in the Pit Soundwave and Megatron could transform into things so terribly small compared to a Cybertronian frame. He picked Soundwave up gently.

"Soundwave? You ready?"

No reply.

"Soundwave?"

Nothing. He suddenly realised his current predicament and smacked his helm.

"Great! How am I going to talk to you when you're a cassette player now?"

Hardly had he spoken when an unknown commlink pinged him for acknowledgment which he hastily accepted.

Communication officer and spymaster, expert of espionage. Right. Should take him no time at all to hack into Thundercracker's frequencies.

:Link, operational?:

:Loud and clear.: He took a bit of time to inspect the commlink that they had just established, noting some (of the numerous) firewalls and security codes embedded into its programming that would likely thwart the ambition of all eavesdroppers. Soundwave was very thorough in making their shared frequency confidential.

:Ready?: Soundwave replied with an affirmative burst.

Thundercracker was a nervous wreck. He wasn't a whimpy virgin in any sense but never had he let someone so close to his spark, literally. It was like that organic saying, something about offering your heart on a plate, whatever it meant. He would be sweating buckets if possible.

His cockpit slid open and he quickly placed the cassette player inside. Thundercracker cycled slow and deep ventilations to calm his nerves. It felt weird, really weird, like something there but not quite there. Not to mention the slight tickles.

Just a little while. He could handle it.

Thundercracker launched himself skyward and boosted his thrusters to maximum speed. Being in the air soothed him more than he had thought. Soundwave had been eerily silent since the beginning of the trip. No matter what he did, he couldn't elicit a response from the stoic mech. He even performed a loop, feeling the tapedeck being thrown around inside his cockpit to provoke, yet Soundwave remained quiet.

Silent treatment, huh. :You know what, just pretend I don't exist. It's not like having another mech near my _**spark chamber**_ is any big deal.: Thundercracker grounded out in annoyance.

Finally, a small burst of static answered him. Music suddenly flooded their shared commlink, and Thundercracker was speechless at the familiarity of the melody.

:How did you know this tune?: He demanded, a bit too harshly. He should be the only mech who knew of it!

Soundwave's voice was small. :... Thundercracker, hummed tune at previous meeting. Soundwave, replicated and searched for original version.: A long pause, then a nearly inaudible :Apology.:

That took him by surprise, and the teal Seeker suppressed a grin. He turned sharply, lightly jostling the tapedeck. Their shared commlink burst to life.

:... Jerk.:

Thundercracker laughed heartily. :Oh, don't be so rude to your savior! I might just drop you!:

Really, the poor mech was too conscientious for his own good.

* * *

><p>The moment Thundercracker touched down on the Nemesis' deck, Starscream was already there tapping his pedes.<p>

"What took you so long? I'm here half an hour ago!"

"Excuse me, you're not the mech who got trapped in a closed space underground for _**five hours**_! Cut me the crap!" Thundercracker growled when he landed a bit too hard and skidded a few hundred metres.

"Well hurry up and come to the Common room! Megatron's waiting and I'm sick of telling him your location every 5 minutes!"

Starscream paused his rant and looked around. He smiled a self-satisfactory smirk and his tone took a lighter turn. "I see you listened to me and left Soundwave to his own devices. If this incident doesn't make him lose Megatron's favors, arriving late will surely guarantee a beating. I'm going first. Scrub off all that muck and make yourself presentable."

The teal Seeker started to rub away the dirt on his arms, feeling anger swell inside him. Starscream and his selfishness... Making an incapacitated mech suffer just for his own enjoyment and personal goals... As soon as the tri-colored Seeker was out of sight, he carefully checked to make sure there were no onlookers before opening his cockpit and taking the marine tapedeck out.

He placed Soundwave down and looked away. "Here you go."

The sound of transformation greeted his audios, then an ugly **CLANG**. Startled, he turned sharply to find Soundwave had promptly fallen into a crumpled heap on the floor, his limbs still tangled together.

"Soundwave! What...?"

Soundwave's visor glowed dim, his monotonous voice strained. "Q-Query: Assistance?"

Thundercracker crouched down and started to separate the tapedeck's limbs. His damaged leg must've been very painful, so painful he had to stop the transformation sequence midway. When he unhooked the injured appendage, Soundwave cried out softly. "O-Ow!"

"Sorry. Bear with it for a moment." Carefully he pulled at the leg and lowered it down slowly. Soundwave didn't make any more sound, but Thundercracker could tell from the rapidly flickering light behind his visor that he was still in pain. After freeing the marine mech's limbs, Thundercracker let out a breath he didn't notice he had been holding.

He hauled Soundwave to his pedes, slinging an arm around his shoulder and wound one arm around the other mech's waist. When no protest was made, Thundercracker walked the tapedeck to the Common room.

Soundwave stopped him before he could enter. He procured a rag from his subspace and started wiping at the Seeker's wings. Thundercracker's optics dimmed as nimble fingers pried into seams, cleaning sediments that were stuck in between. The constant pressure on his most sensitive appendages caused him to offline his optics lulled him into a sleeplike trance.

"So how are we going to explain ourselves?"

"Main perpetrator: Skywarp."

Thundercracker's spark stopped. "Don't. Don't say his name. If it was truly him like you said, then say it was me. He's my trinemate. Wouldn't you do the same had it been your cassettes that got into trouble?" The administrations on his wings ceased. The Seeker sighed when Soundwave kept silent.

"Besides, if I was punished, he wouldn't do such a thing again. You... it was just self defence. If anything, you shouldn't even be here."

He kept his optics offlined even when the touches left his wings, since he was sure Soundwave would be cleaning himself next. The mech would probably appreciate some privacy.

He only looked when the door slid open, making sure Soundwave was ahead of him before following in.

* * *

><p>"You have one minute to explain yourselves. My patience is wearing thin." Megatron barked from where he stood on the raised platform.<p>

Soundwave lowered his helm and spoke quickly. "Cassetticon, threatened by fellow Decepticon. Carrier protocols, activated as a form of protection for cassettes. Actions, instinctive." He paused, then quietly added: "Actions, unacceptable. Soundwave fully responsible."

With several long strides, Megatron neared the tapedeck and cuffed his helm, _**hard**_. Soundwave stumbled backwards, then dropped onto his knees from disorientation. He quickly changed into a kneeling position and didn't dare to look up as the Warlord loomed over his battered form. "I must say I'm disappointed in you, Soundwave. I thought you, out of all mech, would have better self-control than this."

Thundercracker stared at him in surprise. The mech didn't mention his name or Skywarp, meaning he was going to take the blame all on himself. He cringed when Megatron brutally gripped the telepath's chin and jerked his faceplate upwards. Judging from the tremors in his frame and the flickering of his visor, the teal Seeker knew Soundwave was struggling to stay online. Starscream was snickering gleefully and Skywarp, a fresh weld on his side, was grinning like a madman. Soundwave's symbionts were shaking with rage in a corner. The rest present were simply looking on with interest at the whole exchange.

No way was Thundercracker letting it go down like this.

"My Lord, if I may," He quickly cut in when Megatron raised his first. "I attacked Soundwave and caused the cave-in in the first place. If the raid was unsuccessful then I should be the mech held responsible."

He diverted his gaze downwards when he saw the silver gunformer approaching. A clawed servo gripped his right wing and squeezed. Thundercracker could feel metal tearing and shredding under the immense force and he bit down on his dermas, hard enough to draw energon. A blow to his helm threw him off-balance and Thundercracker immediately dropped into a submissive crouch. He had learnt from many of Starscream's beatings that defiance would only earn you more pain.

"Please show mercy, my Lord." He pleaded.

Out of the corner of his optics, he saw Soundwave's shocked expression. Starscream's and Skywarp's faceplate were devoid of the initial glee.

"Lucky for you, you little _**charade**_ had garnered more than a few glances from the Autobots, distracting them long enough for us to succeed." Megatron growled and walked away. "Be grateful I am in a lenient mood. Now get out of my sight."

"Thank you, my Lord." Before Thundercracker could check on the tapedeck, Starscream and Skywarp nearly threw themselves at him and herded him away.

"Why did you try to take the blame?" Starscream screeched, taking him by the arm and started dragging him to the medbay.

"You should've just let Soundwave be the scapegoat. I was so sure Megatron would crush him!" Skywarp whined.

"Though Skywarp's missiles did the trick, huh?" Starscream cackled, making Thundercracker stop dead in his tracks.

"Wait, what? You really fired the missiles at him?"

"He deserves it." The purple Seeker pouted. "He was taking you away from us!"

Thundercracker jerked his arms out of Starscream's grasp, then turned to face his Trinemates with a seething glare.

"First off, he didn't _**take**_ me away from you, I chose to spend time with him of my own free will. Second, you should show a bit of gratitude to the mech, Skywarp. You wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of Megatron's wrath were he to discover you hurt Rumble in the first place, which lead to him shooting you, which lead to me attacking him, which caused the cave-in?"

Skywarp blanched.

Thundercracker turned sharply on his pedes and marched back into the room to find the Cassetticons flocking around Soundwave. The moment they saw his approach, they bombarded him with pleading looks. Soundwave was tensely watching his every movement. The teal Seeker let out a sigh before scooping the mech up bridal-style. Soundwave thrashed and flailed his limbs weakly but Thundercracker simply rolled the blue frame close to his chassis and set out for the medbay.

:Thundercracker, desist!:

He responded with a :Don't be ridiculous: and shut the comm before Soundwave could protest, then threw a question over his shoulder. "Are you coming or not?"

The Cassetticons _**ran**_.

* * *

><p>"Lay him down over there. Go out and keep the scraplets company for a while, then I'll fix you later. If they come in here I'll never be able to work properly." Hook pointed to a berth near the wall and left to retrieve his tools.<p>

Soundwave had stopped struggling and resigned himself to his fate; although he gifted Thundercracker with a searing glare the entire trip to the medbay (which he ignored, obviously). The second Thundercracker laid him down, he sprang up like a jack-in-a-box and looked around. Probably for his cassettes. Thundercracker pushed the mech back onto the berth with a firm shake of his helm.

Babysitting a bunch of impatient, rambunctious mechs wasn't his cube of energon. Especially when they were trying to extract information from him.

"What happened back during the cave-in? Boss wouldn't tell me anything!"

"Squawk!"

"How's his injuries?"

"Grrrrrrrr..."

"Is he gonna be ok?"

"Squawk!"

"Hey, what did you two do in that cave?"

Thundercracker felt a metaphorical vein pop.

"Just _**shut up**_!" He yelled. The Cassetticons clammed shut. "Soundwave's just a bit scratched, nothing life-threatening. A little buffing and welding and he's gonna be good as new. He bled a little, yeah, but it's not like he's gonna die! And no, I'm not telling you what happened! Tell your master to do that himself!" He slumped down in his seat and crossed his arms, irritated.

Something nudged at his arm, then Frenzy dropping a small lump of colorful crystals into his lap. Thundercracker looked up to see five expectant faces.

"Uh... thanks, but what am I supposed to do with a rock?"

"It's called a peacemaking gift, moron", grumbled Frenzy, who threw a punch at his arm. "You helped Boss a lot, so I guess you're cool." All the others eagerly nodded.

He turned the small organic piece in his palm. The dim light in the hallway hit its edges and it sparkled with a tint of teal, like the shade of his armor. It seemed the midgets put a lot of effort into finding the crystal lump.

So they... approve of him? Is that an appropriate thought?

A voice made him jump a few feet into the air. "Get in here." He quickly subspace the gift.

* * *

><p>"Sit." Hook didn't even bothered to spare a glace when Thundercracker entered. Soundwave immediately shifted his helm to face the wall. He looked better, though, without an entire chunk of plating missing from one leg and dents larger than Thundercracker's own servos.<p>

"Couldn't you be a bit nicer to your patients?"

"My medbay, my rules. Unless you want a toaster welded to your aft?" The Constructicon laid out an array of tools next to Thundercracker on the berth.

"No thanks. And what the frag is a toaster anyway?"

"Some piece of earth technology. It's quite funny. Wanna see?" Hook pulled at his injured wing for better access. Thundercracker winced at the heat from the welders. The burning sensation passed swiftly, leaving a ticklish feeling behind.

"Yeah... Maybe later." Soundwave was still facing away from him. Had he offended the tapedeck in any way?

Hook pulled back to take a look at his handiwork. "Almost done. A couple of buffings and you'll be good as new."

It felt like an eternity but finally Hook put down his tools with a satisfied smirk.

"You're good to go. You and Soundwave can stay in the medbay for a while, but don't you dare sleep here. I'm going. Do not touch anything." With that the Constructicon left.

Thundercracker waited for a couple of cliks to make sure the Constructicon was really gone before approaching the blue mech.

"Hey Soundwave. You feeling better?"

No reply.

"Soundwave!"

Primus he hated the silent treatment.

"Answer, or Primus so help me I'll tell Skywarp to dump orange slime on you while you sleep. Which smells awful by the way. And hard to clean."

Soundwave twitched slightly, then sit up. Still he refused to look at Thundercracker.

"Ok, what crawled up you aft and died?" The teal Seeker gave a exasperated huff. "You hadn't spoken or look at me at all. Unless... You only associate with me when you need my help, is that it?"

Soundwave immediately whipped his helm in Thundercracker's direction and hastily replied. "N-Negative!"

Thundercracker's mouth hung open when he saw the tapedeck's overbright visor and his crimson nasal ridge. In fact, any part on his face that wasn't covered by his visor and faceplate was the same shade of red.

Soundwave was _**blushing**_.

If that wasn't the cutest thing ever then he didn't know what was. But why? Did he do anythi-

... Oh.

Thundercracker felt a faint blush rose on his cheeks as well, and he stood there speechless for a moment. Soundwave looked down at his own servos.

"... Gratitude, offered." He sucked in a breath. "Thundercracker's departure, preferred."

Thundercracker thought fast. No doubt after today, the blue mech would avoid him like the Rust plague out of embarrassment. That would ruin what little accquaintanceship they had been having.

"Fine, fine, I'll go. But just one thing." The Seeker allowed a wicked grin on on his lips and had the satisfaction of seeing Soundwave tense up.

"I helped you, right?"

The telepath slowly nodded.

"You know what it means, right? I'll be waiting in the Rec room tomorrow."

The dejected slump of Soundwave's shoulders made him laugh out loud.

* * *

><p>Quick update is quick. A long chapter again.<p>

I can't write lemon to save my life. Guess I'll just stick to weird fluff then.

It was strange that I was halfway through writing this chapter before I even finished chapter 4.

Thanks to all those who reviewed, faved and followed my story. It makes me really happy.

See you all in chapter 6!


	6. Chapter 6

**Marine Teals **

:asdff: commlink

**Chapter 6**

"What's your favourite color?"

Soundwave nearly spat out a mouthful of energon as he threw a look of disbelief at the mech sitting opposite of him. The mech happened to be a teal-tinted blue Seeker, who merely shrugged and took a sip from his cube. Of all the idiocy...

"Have to try and socialize, do we? You are practically a sitting log and I don't want to start my glorious morning staring at a log. At least say something to make us look less ridiculous." He gestured at a curious mob staring openly at them. Minus Starscream and Skywarp in a corner, looking ready to chew Soundwave into itty bitty pieces. At least when he sent off his symbionts earlier, they only shared a knowing look.

"Thundercracker's presence, not compulsory."

"Ah, ah, ah." Thundercracker wiggled a digit in front of his face, speaking in a sing-song voice, and Soundwave was _**this**_ close to just stand up and leave. "Our deal, remember? Play nice."

The tapedeck tried his best to suppress a groan, then glanced around. The small mob was still looking at them, the two Seekers were still glaring at him.

... Fuck's wrong with Seekers? Two wouldn't stop glaring daggers at him, one wouldn't leave him alone. At least the latter was nicer.

"So? What's your favourite color?"

Soundwave liked most colors, really, as long as they weren't pink, neon or orange, or unharmonious but he couldn't answer like that. He looked around the room for inspiration. Megatron... too gray. The Constructicons' neon green were too clashing for his taste. Starscream, too... cocky (see what he did there?). Skywarp's shade of purple was too ugly. There wasn't a color he liked in the room, except one maybe. But...

"Query: Why colors?"

"It's ultimate conversation starter. Now spill it."

"Thundercracker first."

The mech leaned back and thought for a moment. "Well... I like blue. All shades of blue."

A faint blush rose to Soundwave's cheeks, which was irrational - just because Thundercracker's most-liked color happened to be the same as the color of his armor didn't mean anything. He bit his bottom lip.

"Teal."

Thundercracker's engine sputtered as he choked in the middle of a sip. He coughed violently for several seconds before giving Soundwave an incredulous look. "That's... flattering to hear."

The marine tapedeck blamed the fact that he had been seeing a lot of teal lately (completely against his will, if he may add). He didn't mind the Seeker's presence _**too**_ much, although it was causing him to act and speak completely out of character. If yesterday was any indication, it would be safe to assume they had become... acquaintances. "Friendship" would be pushing it, since they'd only truly tried to get along a couple of weeks ago.

"Query?"

"Hmm?" Thundercracker had started toying with the content of his cube.

"Why Thundercracker insist on Soundwave's presence? Trinemate, more logical choice and better company."

"They did some... dishonorable deeds that I couldn't accept." The teal mech's optics narrowed a fraction and his voice took on a hostile edge. "Like telling me to leave you behind and orchestrating your demise. They need to lay off the meddling. Fragging motherhens, the both of them."

Soundwave's gaze softened. He was having a fight with them because of yesterday's events? That was... surprisingly endearing. Nevertheless, it had to stop.

"Trinemates antagonizing Soundwave: unpleasant. Skirmishes, lowering team morale. Reconciliation, necessary."

Thundercracker remained silent for a while, then blew out a sigh with a petulant pout. "Okay, I'll try. Only because I don't want to be on Megatron's bad books."

That was enough confirmation for him, and Soundwave spend the rest of morning energon in a generally good mood, feeling productive. Until Starscream decided to block him way in the halls as he was leaving for duty. The tri-colored mech loomed over him with a menacing aura, one arm leaned against the wall. Soundwave had debated sidestepping Starscream, but the Seeker would probably come back to bother him, and he preferred to keep their encounters a minimum. Plus Starscream was a warbuild. Soundwave was not.

"Starscream, move."

Starscream ignored him. "I see you've been quite chummy with one of my trinemates lately."

"Encounters, mostly coincidental. Some unavoidable."

"Don't lie. You are actively seeking him out, and I don't like it."

"Contrary: Thundercracker, normally initiates contact."

"You accepted his invitations anyway."

The tapedeck kept his features passive and stared silently at the taller mech. Although the Decepticon Second in Command was being intimidating, Soundwave was more irritated than afraid. You couldn't become too scary with such a screechy voice.

"Starscream, jealous?" Soundwave intoned and had the satisfaction of seeing the tri-colored Seeker flustered angrily.

"I demand you stop your... _**exploitations**_ of Thundercracker." Starscream spat out the word as if in distaste. "He's my and Skywarp's trinemate, meaning he's not _**yours**_. Don't go poking your head in others' business, telepath."

The lights behind Soundwave visor narrowed into slits. No doubt Starscream had said similarly to Thundercracker, and the tapedeck could sympathize with him for enduring such ridiculous requests. Before he could stop himself, Soundwave leaned up so he was only inches away from the Seeker's faceplate and his monotonous voice dropped a pitch.

"Thundercracker, not _**yours**_ either."

Starscream was stunned at the sudden statement but quickly replaced his shock with an ugly sneer. "If that's how you want to play it, fine. You'll back down soon enough, and next time I won't be so courteous."

"Something wrong? Why are you two facing off like that?"

They nearly jumped and turned to see Thundercracker staring confusedly at them. "Starscream, what are you doing?" He immediately seemed alarmed.

"Just having a little... _**talk**_ with our resident telepath, that's all. You have flight practice today so get your aft moving." With a final glare and a violent shove at Soundwave, Starscream turned and stalked off.

"What were you... _**conversing**_ about, if I may inquire? He didn't say anything outrageous, did he?"

"... Unimportant." Soundwave rubbed at his arm where Starscream's clawed hand dug in. He was _**very**_ tempted to continue hanging around Thundercracker just for the spirit of annoying Starscream. Just for the heck of it.

Thundercracker huffed. "Better not be what I think it is."

The marine tapedeck shook his helm lightly. His problems with Starscream, his to solve. Soundwave didn't know exactly what he had gotten himself into, though. It was like some twisted Seeker game, a challenge that he did not know the rules and the prize. He would have to be extra careful from now on, since he never knew if his energon would be poisoned or if someone would push him down the stairs.

* * *

><p>Digits flew expertly over keyboards as Soundwave ran customary checkups on the Nemesis. There were a few locations that could use reinforcement and a small leak in one of the storage chambers. Security cameras, fully functional. Energon stock level, high. No security breach detected.<p>

The sound of opening door announced a newcomer, and seconds later a sweaty Thundercracker plopped down onto the nearest chair. He must have taken that flight practice Starscream mentioned earlier.

"How're the chores going?"

Soundwave scrunched his nasal ridge. "Thundercracker, filthy."

"I don't smell that bad." The Seeker sniffed at his arms, and his faceplate immediately bore the same expression. "Yeah... Definitely a bath later." He poked some of the keys and Soundwave swatted his hand away. "How come you're always doing something whenever I see you? The others are goofing around all the time."

"Precise reason."

"Oh. Eh heh heh... Oops?" Thundercracker scratched his head guiltily. "You need any help?"

"Thoughts, appreciated. Help, not currently required." The tapedeck resumed his duties. Soon the room was silent, save for the sound of keys typing and Thundercracker swinging his around in his seat. After the Seeker's chair squeaked the twelfth time, Soundwave exasperatedly turned to him.

"Thundercracker, not busy?"

"Hm? No." Another squeak, and Soundwave made a mental note to assign a mech for maintenance. He was getting really tired of the squeaking. The tapedeck turned to fully face Thundercracker, crossing his legs in the process. He didn't miss the strange look the teal mech sent in his direction.

"Query: Problem?"

"No, no." Thundercracker shook his head and grinned. "It's just that... The more I am around you, the more my image of you shatters."

"Thundercracker's assumptions of Soundwave: stiff, humorless, stoic, opportunistic?"

"Well, yeah. You don't give the others much to change their mind. But those were my _**previous**_ assumptions," the Seeker pointed at him, "I mean, you're sitting _**with your legs crossed**_!"

"Position, comfortable."

"_**And**_ trying to be funny. I don't know if I'm hallucinating or really seeing this."

The blue telepath just smiled lightly behind his mask. Thundercracker moved to stand behind him, leaning over to inspect the information displayed on the monitors. His body barely pressed against Soundwave's back, and Soundwave was briefly reminded of how close the Seeker had held him yesterday, how warm the larger frame was, so warm it was almost suffocating. He shivered slightly in remembrance.

For the millionth time, Soundwave was glad for his mask since his faceplate was getting a bit steamy.

_**"T.C!"**_

Thundercracker jumped half a mile in the air and bumped against Soundwave with such force that the tapedeck slammed face-first into the keyboards. Strings of random commands appeared on the monitors and Soundwave scrambled to erase them.

"Skywarp, you almost gave me a spark attack! I could've fragging _**DIED**_!" Thundercracker swore loudly.

"Like that'd happen." Skywarp answered in a flippant manner. "What are you doing here anyway? Go have a game of Crackle with me!" Soundwave could tell without looking that a hateful glare was directed at him. He kept one audio out for the two Seekers' conversation lest it concerned him. They sounded friendly enough, which meant Thundercracker may had taken his advice and made peace with his Trinemates. He pinged the teal mech's comm.

:Reconciliation, successful?:

:What? Oh, heck no! I'm still waiting for a suitable occasion.:

:Thundercracker.: Soundwave breathed out in exasperation. Thundercracker ignored him and turned his attention back to Skywarp, who was babbling about some high score he got.

"I don't really feel like it. Besides, I was helping Soundwave _**before**_ you came in and started yelling."

:Thundercracker, not helping. Bothering Soundwave.:

:Hey, be a bit cooperate here. I don't want to be around him now. It'd be awkward as hell.:

"But why would you help such a boring mech do such a boring job?" Skywarp whined.

:Thundercracker, leave. Skywarp's presence, distracting.:

:No. You and I both know the Crackle game is just a disguise. So I'm staying here where I can avoid the inevitable.:

"No, Skywarp. I have things to do."

"He looks _**fine**_ without your help! He have never asked for help before so I don't see why now!"

:Your call. Either you help me or endure Skywarp's whining.:

"T.C!"

Soundwave sighed and pointed at a stack of datapads nearby. "Thundercracker, retrieve datapads on energon consumption rate."

The teal Seeker broke out into a triumphant grin, proceeded to push Skywarp out of the room and keyed the door shut before the other mech could utter a word. "See? Now if you excuse me, I have useful tasks to perform."

Soundwave typed in the last commands and leaned back, rubbing at his now-aching nasal ridge. He glanced sideways and was immediately met with Thundercracker's smug grin.

"Why must Thundercracker stay? Soundwave: "boring"." The tapedeck repeated what the purple mech had said with plenty of sarcasm.

"You're not too bad. And besides, what would you do without my assistance, heh?" Thundercracker laughed, taking a seat opposite of Soundwave.

"Thundercracker, stop excuses."

The Seeker's laughter died, and Thundercracker's mouth pulled down in a petulant frown.

He seemed thoughtful.

"Spending time with you is different, so it is quite interesting to me. There's just... _**something**_, you know," he gestured around ambiguously, "I like hanging around you. It's not like you're giving me much of a choice either. If it hadn't been for our deal, you wouldn't even be looking at me right now."

Soundwave's faceplate heated up. The teal mech scratched his helm. "You're not the only one feeling uncomfortable here." The awkwardness was so palpable it could be sliced with an energon blade.

The tapedeck decided to do something stupid. Extremely stupid.

He reached out and brushed the tips of his fingers against Thundercracker's right wing. Still-visible weld marks ran up and down the armor patch where Megatron had crushed. The other mech caught his drift.

"It's fine. Fully healed. See?" Thundercracker flicked his wings in demonstration then commented lightly. "How's your leg?" He traced a digit over the welds on Soundwave's calf. Must. Not. Squirm.

"Fully functional."

"You know what, I won't even bother to make excuses. I will ask you right here, right now." Thundercracker looked the blue telepath square in the visor. "Want to join me for morning energon tomorrow? Say no and I'll never approach you. We'll both be on our merry way, pretending the other barely exists."

Soundwave knew he could just refuse, and Thundercracker would never bother him again. Then he wouldn't have to deal with Starscream's antics anymore. However, it would also meant that he backed down from Starscream's "challenge", and Soundwave would rather offline himself than condescend to Starscream.

The teal Seeker was grinning a ridiculously hopeful grin, like a sparkling waiting to be given energon treats, and Soundwave couldn't bring himself to do it.

So he nodded.

* * *

><p>Players 2 and 3 have entered the game.<p>

This chapter is shorter and calmer than the last, just so I can properly set the stage. It'll be a long-ass fic so I thought it'd be nice to alternate between long and shorter chapters.

Thanks to all those who faved, followed and reviewed. It makes me very happy.

Cheers!


	7. Chapter 7

**Marine Teals**

:asdffgh: commlink

**Chapter 7**

Thundercracker's chair squeaked as he spun it around. He glanced at the datapad in his hands then glanced at the other mech in the room.

:T.C! You'd better not be near Soundwave again!: Skywarp's voice blared through his comm, and he promptly shut the link with a weary roll of optics.

"Query: trinemate?" Soundwave spoke as he typed away on the monitor keyboards. Thundercracker slumped in his seat.

"You've gotten real good at guessing my commlink."

"Reaction, self-explanatory."

"You have no idea. And why am I sitting here reading out datapads for you to enter into the systems?"

"Thundercracker, offered help."

He did actually. Lately he had been ditching his Trinemates in favor of Soundwave's company in fear of being given another "talk". This morning, when Starscream and Skywarp had advanced towards him, he had practically pleaded "hide me" to the marine tapedeck. An exasperated Soundwave had let him stay in the monitor room on his shift, and that was where he had been hiding for the last hour.

"Reconciliation?"

"Still working on it." He tossed the datapad onto the table, which earned a disapproving glare, and reached for another one. "How do you expect me to explain why I am escaping from my long-time war buddies to hang around an outsider when they refuse to understand I am spending time with said outsider completely out of my own free will?"

"Trinemates, more important."

"I'll be the one to decide that."

Soundwave wasn't facing him, so the Seeker could only guess vaguely how the telepath felt about the whole ordeal. He only typed faster and stopped making small talks altogether. The two continued, Thundercracker occasionally pointing out mistakes for Soundwave to fix.

When the last datapad had been marked, Thundercracker stretched and yawned. "Well. That had been _**great**_ but I think I won't be volunteering next time."

Soundwave pushed himself away from the consoles and bend down to pet the feline symbiont lying under his seat. Ravage purred and leaned into the touch.

"You have something to do now?"

"Prepare for meeting."

"Which will be due in 3 hours. Meaning you will be spending the next 3 hours alone and miserable unless you have something to pass the time."

"... Implication: Soundwave should accompany Thundercracker."

"Why of course. Never said anything about me not being bored."

The blue mech sighed. "Suggestion?"

"I dunno. Crackle?"

* * *

><p>"What is he doing here?"<p>

"I'm invited."

"Boss!" Rumble, as tiny as ever, tried to block the door with his spaghetti limbs. Soundwave plucked Rumble up, ignoring his indignant protests and ushered Thundercracker in.

:Query: Why Soundwave's personal chamber?:

:First, I share room with my trine. Second, playing in the Rec room isn't the smartest idea. Third, your territory is one place my trinemates wouldn't dare enter.: The teal Seeker left out the fact that he was curious how the room of such a stoic mech looked like.

"This is _**our**_ room!"

"He's not coming in without a fight!"

"Cassetticons, leave."

"But-" Frenzy was cut off mid-sentence as Soundwave pushed him and his twin out. The tapedeck then gestured for the Aerial Twins and Ravage to leave.

"Hey, take this. Consider it bribery. I stole it from Skywarp just so you now." Thundercracker handed Rumble a small box of energon treats and all the Cassetticons' attention immediately snapped to him. They were like sparklings waiting for treats. Soundwave looked at him suspiciously.

:Query: Since when Thundercracker and Cassetticons acquaintances?:

:Let's just say we have come to understanding.:

Rumble feigned contemplation but he knew the symbiont was already bought. "What are you guys going to do?"

"Crackle."

"Oh, oh! Can we watch?"

"No can do. You'll just distract me and I feel like I will be needing all of my processor power today to beat your boss."

"Che. Fat chance. Good luck with that." Frenzy snorted.

While Soundwave struggled to shoo his symbionts out, Thundercracker glanced around the chamber. It took him one look to know which end of the room was Soundwave's. A two-storey berth lay in the middle, right beside the wall. The symbionts' space was strewn with human game consoles and treat wrappings, and there was a high shelf with bars poking out, presumably for Laserbeak and Buzzsaw to perch on. The shelf was full of leaves, dried-up flowers, colorful rocks, crystals and other knick-knacks. Like a trophy display.

Soundwave's space was... well...

There wasn't much to see.

There was a neatly arranged shelf filled to the brim with datapads, a table with a small stack of datapads and a spinning chair. In fact, the only things that prevented him from thinking the place didn't belong to some drones were rainbow-colored foil sheets in various shapes.

Somehow it saddened him a little. He thought it would have been a little more... personal.

Thundercracker walked closer to inspect and admire the foil creations. Soundwave must have spend a long time meticulously folding and styling these. He could see a turbofox, a cyberwolf, a stag and a leafless willow tree among others. They were intricate, complex in pattern and elegant. Must have been a pain to make. The Seeker picked up a replica of ice crystals made from aquamarine foil and held it up towards the light. It sparkled and shimmered a splendid spectrum of blue.

Thundercracker imagined Soundwave as a closet artist. Feigning ignorance and dryness in public, exploding with creativity behind closed doors. Throwing paints on everything and speaking in a high-pitched voice. The mental image made him snicker.

He lowered the foil creation and jumped when he saw the tapedeck's unreadable stare. His visor light was bright but the color was deep, his frame tense, meaning he was either embarrassed or furious. Thundercracker quickly placed the ice replica down.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to snoop around!"

Soundwave stalked over, grabbed his forearm and forced him to sit down on the floor. He then plunked down opposite Thundercracker with his arms crossed and the most intense glare he had ever seen on the marine mech.

The teal Seeker immediately unsubspaced the game components. Skywarp usually pestered him to play, so he always had a set of Crackle with him. Thundercracker hoped Soundwave wouldn't mind the battered condition of the set too much.

* * *

><p>Crackle was a common game on Cybertron back in its golden, peaceful days. It was simple, moderate in length and required little to set up, therefore it was quite loved among Cybertronians. The gameplay consisted of two 24x24 checkerboards set upright, facing away from each other. Two players sitting on opposite ends control one checkerboard.<p>

To play, each player would grid 'virtual' battleships - warship holograms - onto the boards. There were five 3x7 navy ships, seven 2x4 aircrafts and one 15x10 command ship. Each player could see the other's 'battlefield' but not the warships. The players would take turn to guess the squares where the opponent's ships were stationed. If the guess was correct (you hit a ship) then a cross would appear in that square and a crackling sound (like metals snapping) accompanied by explosions could be heard, hence the name 'Crackle'. There were even explosion effects. Cross out all enemy ships and you win.

The sound effects and explosions were half the fun and Thundercracker enjoyed those immensely. Although it was less fun when the explosions mostly happened on your own battlefield. His had been shooting fireworks for a while now.

"D-20."

"Not _**again!**_" Thundercracker threw up his arms exasperatedly as he marked a fat **X** on the square. It exploded. "You've already sunk 3 of my army and I've only sunk 1 aircraft! And we've only been playing for like, _**25 minutes?**_"

"Soundwave, good at Crackle." The marine mech shrugged lightly.

"Like hell you are. How about E-12?"

"Negative. D-21."

"Damn it." Somehow, someway Soundwave had worked out some of his ship deployment patterns after several moves. The tapedeck hit another square and Thundercracker groaned.

Crackle was simple but not easy, and Thundercracker was by no means an amateur, yet Soundwave was sweeping the floor with him! Not even Starscream could won against him so effortlessly. The Seeker paused to take a sweep of his battlefield and noticed _**Soundwave was systematically eliminating his ships one by one from the inside out**_.

It took him only half a game of Crackle to find out Soundwave was a true genius. Not the I-am-superior-to-you-so-kneel kind of genius, or the shrewdly cunning kind, but the silent unshowing type that left one wonder how much more there was underneath. It also got him wondering why Soundwave never presented or assisted in the making of any battle plan, despite the fact that his intellect could make Starscream run for his credits.

"Why don't you ever voice out during meetings? You're smart. The outcomes of the Decepticons' schemes could have been much better!"

"Soundwave's duty: follow orders unconditionally."

"Yes, yes, no need to recite your entire work mantra," the Seeker impatiently waved his servo, "but your contribution could be key! And you're Head of Communication! Megatron would surely take it seriously."

"Unlikely." The telepath shook his helm. "Starscream and Megatron: prideful and obstinate. View suggestions as insult to leadership skills and possible defiance."

One time Ol' Buckethead nearly chewed off Screamer's helm just for suggesting an increase on the front line. Soundwave had a point, although it would be an incredible waste if Thundercracker couldn't do anything to put his bright mind in use. Maybe they could even win this war quicker and go home.

He propped his head on one arm and flicked a digit at Soundwave's checkerboard. "Doesn't hurt to try. G-9."

The tapedeck responded with a negative and took his turn, sinking another navy ship.

* * *

><p>:Thundercracker, sit properly.:<p>

:I'm _**trying**_. This is getting nowhere.:

Soundwave gifted him with a disapproving glare from across the table as he pressed his cheek on the table's cool surface. One hour into the meeting and they hadn't come up with any brilliant scheme for the Autobots' demise. Megatron and Starscream had taken to bickering about past attempts and failures.

Something cold touched his face, and Thundercracker lifted his helm to see a minicube hovering near his temple. Since when had the tapedeck come over to his side?

:Behave.: Soundwave set the cube down and swiftly returned to his seat. The Seeker grinned and took a small sip of mid-grade. Maybe next time he should also act bored to get free drinks. He was aware almost every mech present, save for Starscream and Megatron, was staring dumbstruck at him and Soundwave, and he nonchalantly drank some more. They were probably just jealous.

Thundercracker finished the minicube, tossed it under his pedes and steeled his motives.

"Lord Megatron, if I may suggest something?"

The Warlord paused in the middle of his domestic argument to regard him, and the chatters died down.

"How dare you interrupt me?"

"Please, My Lord, I do not mean to offend you in any way, but I think it would be to the Decepticons' best benefits to leave disputes behind and focus more on our common goal." Thundercracker waited, feeling his courage dwindling quickly.

"Speak."

He sighed internally. "May I suggest that instead of attacking the Autobots, we attack something else?"

Megatron turned to fully face him, and he was aware of the dead silence in the Meeting room. It seemed Thundercracker had their full and undivided attention. If he played his cards right then things would went smoothly in his direction. "Elaborate on your idea. Short and to the point. I've no time for riddles."

"My Lord, in a previous scheme where we deployed a device that rigged Teletraan-1 and turned the Autobots into mindless slaves, there was only one flaw. We couldn't be sure whether all Bots needed processor checks and software maintenance, therefore some of them remained unaffected, and those few, along with their pet squishies, created devices to remove our control. Attacking the Autobots head-on would be a bit faulty, since there are always some persistent pests. If we were to, say, _**control**_ the Ark instead of the Autobots, it could cause them considerable hardship which would be to our advantage."

The Teal Seeker halted to gauge his audience's reactions. Most seemed bewildered as to where this talk was leading to. Although to the normal mech the tapedeck looked as passive as ever, he could see realization dawning on Soundwave as his visor brightened. After hanging out with Soundwave for a while, Thundercracker liked to believe he had mastered what he dubbed "visor language." With somemech who gave out so little about their emotions like the tapedeck, Thundercracker had learnt to read from bodily gestures and the lights behind his visor. Soundwave seemed to have understood the implications.

He quickly continued.

"Think about it. If we were to gain control of Teletraan-1 and the Ark, we could turn their own force against them. We can lock up the weapon storage, shut down the surveillance systems, cut off the power, lock mechs up in rooms... Then the Decepticons could just waltz in and shoot down a dozen. Or we could just shut them in the Ark and detonate it."

"How do you expect we execute this plan?"

"With a virus, Lord Megatron. It would've to be a virus strong enough to bypass Teletraan-1's firewalls and create breaches for us to hack into the Ark's systems."

Soundwave frantically pinged him. :Plan, unwise. Cease suggestions!:

: Just chill. I've got this.:

"Wait." Starscream looked at him skeptically. "What if the Autobots could stop our virus? I hate to admit but those filthy Bots have skills."

"That's why I said _**if**_ the virus is strong enough."

"Your ideas are... worthy of consideration. Starscream, work on a virus to meet the aforementioned criteria."

Before the Second-in-command could respond, Thundercracker cut in. "Actually, My Lord, having Starscream develop the virus would be ineffective since his speciality lies in developing energy alternatives and weaponry. We should pick a mech who's more... in depth in the matter."

All eyes turned to the marine tapedeck, who obviously was trying to make himself smaller.

"Soundwave. You are in charge of Communication and Espionage, are you not?"

"... Affirmative, Lord Megatron. However, expertise does not include virus progra-"

"Which involves information extraction and hacking. You will be in charge of the programming. I expect it to be done in ten joors and it'd better be flawless. Now, about the deployment of the virus..."

The teal Seeker caught Soundwave's shoulder sagging just a fraction and disguises his laughter by stuffing a fist in his mouth and coughing violently. His Trinemates were glaring daggers at Soundwave, and the poor mech became more weary.

The strategy meeting ended and as Thundercracker was walking out, a blue servo gripped his forearm and pulled him into an empty corridor.

"Thundercracker, explain intentions."

"Completely pure and in the Decepticons' interest. I am just trying to put your expertise to more use, seeing as we are running out of... ingenious plots to defeat the Autobots."

"Thundercracker, did not think through!" The telepath's monotonous voice climbed a notch. "Soundwave: responsible for most crucial part of operation. Failure, attributed to Soundwave."

"You don't have to worry about that." Thundercracker chuckled softly. "I suggested the idea, so if shit goes down Megatron will have my head first. If he punishes you, just blame me. If the plan works, you and I walk away victorious. If the plan fails, I fall alone. I won't pull you down with me."

Soundwave didn't answer, but his uncertainty was palpable.

"Besides, you wouldn't be admitting defeat to the Autobots before you even _**tried**_, would you? Afraid to face off Blaster, maybe?"

The tapedeck's visor light narrowed. "Negative. Soundwave, superior."

"Last showdown you lost."

"Blaster, cheated. Used external speakers."

"All's fair in love and war, haven't you heard? If you kick his aft this round fair and square, you'd have something to gloat about next time you fight him."

With a silent glare, Soundwave stalked away from him. The Seeker sniggered. It was usually hard to rile up the telepath but when it came to his carrier counterpart, Soundwave fell for every taunt, hook, line, and sinker.

"Aww, don't be too jealous! Red and yellow combo is so yesterday. I still like your color better!"

Thundercracker burst out laughing when Soundwave nearly tripped.

This would be more fun than he had thought.

* * *

><p>Joor = 6.5 h<p>

So, yes, more personal. Yes, Crackle is based on Battleship.

The plot still moves slow. I hope it doesn't become too ridiculous.

Thanks to all those who faved, followed and reviewed. If you're a random reader, thanks for stopping by! It made my day.

Bye!


	8. Chapter 8

**Marine Teals**

**Chapter 8**

Soundwave yawned as he stretched his stiff, tired frame. He had stayed up all night brainstorming and had just started programming the frame for the virus. Ten joors wasn't that long a time for a virus of this function and scope, and he figured if he skipped recharge then he would have just enough time. Normally it didn't require much of him, but for this plan to work the thing had to be one of a kind.

Just as he resumed typing, the door slid open and a deep voice boomed, making Soundwave wince at its sheer volume.

"Soundwave! You skipped morning fuel!" Thundercracker marched in with two cubes balanced on one hand, the other hand waving in greeting. The tapedeck didn't bother to turn back. Since when did the mech have the right to enter his personal chamber without his permission? He glanced at the entrance to see his symbionts crowding with guilty looks.

"Sorry, boss. The guy insisted." Rumble scratched the back of his helm. Soundwave caught a glimpse of a small metal box behind Frenzy's back and didn't even need to guess to know what's in it. He would have to teach his Cassettes about accepting bribery later on. With long strides, Thundercracker neared him and plunked the cubes down a tad too hard, sloshing some of the contents onto the desk and the keyboards. Soundwave's nasal ridge scrunched up in disgust.

"Oops." The teal Seeker begun wiping at the spilled energon with his hands. How filthy. Instead of cleaning, he was just smearing the stuff all over the place. Soundwave grudgingly got up from his seat, took a rag from the nearby shelf and threw it in Thundercracker's direction.

The other mech chuckled as he went to clean. "Its so easy to annoy you." Soundwave groaned almost audibly and begun typing with a gusto. After ten minutes of typing and not a sound from Thundercracker, the telepath lifted his helm to see the Seeker had made himself comfortable on his bed and was nonchalantly drinking and watching him.

"Off."

"You're not using the berth. I see no reason why I can't sit."

Soundwave's left optic twitched. "Intrusion on personal property, not welcomed."

Thundercracker seemed cheerful but his voice carried a slightly bitter tone. "Personal, huh? When you've stayed with Starscream and Skywarp for as long as I have, you kind of lose your grasp on the concept of 'personal'. Takes time to reacquaint yourself." He pointed to the cube on Soundwave's desk. "You going to drink that or not?"

The tapedeck stared at the annoying mech atop his berth until the other looked away from discomfort. He picked up the cube in fake contemplation, well aware of a watching pair of optics. Soundwave took a sip then glanced. The Seeker was still watching him as if hoping for something. What was the idiot waiting for? He had drunk the energon, hadn't he? He paused for a moment then muttered:

"Gratitude, offered."

Thundercracker's face lit up and a smile painted itself across his lips. Soundwave smiled a little under his mask as well.

... Dork.

A cough from Frenzy announced that the Cassetticons were still in the room, and they were staring at Thundercracker and Soundwave as if they had just witnessed the most disgusting thing in their lives.

"Well...", Frenzy cleared his throat. Rumble snickered. "Seeing that we are invisible, we'll just leave so that you two can have some alone time. Don't have too much fun without us."

Soundwave, his face slightly hot, sent a burst of anger and warning through the symbiotic bond, which was promptly ignored. His symbionts left in a flurry of squawks, laughter and purrs, making wet kissing noises and hugging each other in mock affection.

"Why are they doing that?" An abashed Thundercracker glanced at a fuming Soundwave, who tried to stay ignorant and shrugged. He downed the rest of his energon as quickly as his straw would allow and slammed his cube down more violently that he had meant to. The emptied cube cracked, and Thundercracker's face blanched.

They sat in awkward silence.

"Soundwave... You need any help?"

The typing got faster and more furious. The Seeker swallowed.

"Well... If there's nothing I can assists you with, I'll go. Megatron is calling a strategy meeting in 15 minutes." When Soundwave didn't reply, he sighed, casted one concerned look at the tapedeck and left silently.

Only when he was sure the teal Seeker was really gone did Soundwave stopped typing, leaned back and placed a servo over his chest compartment to calm himself. Just associating with the mech alone was shortening his longevity.

He worked for two joors without rest. Ravage growling at him to rest was the only reason why Soundwave stood up and left his chamber (to the record room to get more reference).

He paused when he heard noises coming from the empty meeting room. He was certain the strategy meeting ended already, and no Decepticon onboard was diligent enough to stay. He could only see Thundercracker, who seemed to be having a heated argument with his Trine, judging from the voices, angry hushed words and terse replies. The teal Seeker had his fists clenched, his wings tense and raised high. When Skywarp said something that particularly agitated him, Thundercracker's optic ridges furrowed and he retaliated with a hiss.

Feeling that he had stumbled upon something that he shouldn't bear witness, Soundwave turned to leave when suddenly Thundercracker's optics caught his. The Seeker stared at him in surprise, then unclenched one servo and gave a small wave. The tapedeck heard angry footsteps coming towards him that didn't definitely belong to Thundercracker.

Soundwave didn't wave back. He bolted.

* * *

><p>If he didn't have to keep up an image of stiff stoicism, Soundwave would've dropped to the floor and crawled on all fours. That was how exhausted he was after two sleepless days. The blue tapedeck only took breaks to fuel, and even those where extremely short. His optic lids were so heavy they nearly fused together. He dragged his sluggish frame through the halls back to his chamber. The way back never felt this long before... Either he was too tired to judge distance or the length of the corridors did grew.<p>

In those two days he hadn't been visited by or heard from the teal Seeker at all, but the telepath had been too busy to feel bothered. From what he had gathered from his symbionts, there had been a couple of intense strategy session and that the whole ship was buzzing to prepare for the latest schemes.

What had Thundercracker been doing?

He shook his helm. He didn't care. He _**shouldn't**_ care. The most important thing was the mission.

Soundwave had just tested his newest creation on the Nemesis' systems and was met with great success. In other circumstances he would've celebrated but seeing as his symbionts had long since recharged and he could hardly walk straight, Soundwave decided to save it for another time. He could only took a few steps before promptly collapsing onto a hallway bench.

He shouldn't recharge here...

Ah screw it.

* * *

><p>Soundwave woke up with a start. Two days without recharge was making his internal chronometers go haywire. At night the Nemesis was chilly and the tapedeck shivered slightly. Alarm stilled his frame as he registered a weight on his chest and his head on something that was not the hallway bench.<p>

He onlined his visor and Thundercracker came into view. Soundwave blinked.

Distantly he registered the weight as Thundercracker's arm and that he was using the Seeker's right leg as a pillow.

"Hey. You awake?" Thundercracker's voice was low, and the arm across the telepath's chassis tightened. Soundwave lifted a servo, intending to swip it across Thundercracker's face but instead sloppily smacked the other mech square on the cheek.

"Cut that out!" Thundercracker growled and rubbed the side of his face. Not an illusion then.

If the teal Seeker was able to move him without him knowing, then he must be more drained than he had thought. Soundwave squirmed a little under Thundercracker's arm and tried to push off the offending appendage. Thundercracker kept it there and watched in mild amusement as Soundwave struggled in vain.

"Can I move you to a more comfortable place? This bench is killing my aft."

In his sleep-induced state, Soundwave didn't think too much. He held out his arms like a sparkling and Thundercracker scooped him up. The Seeker's body was like a furnace and he pressed into the welcoming warmth. When they reached the door to Soundwave's personal chamber, he mumbled the password for the other to key in.

"Does it mean I can break into your room at any time now?" The Seeker heaved him up and placed him onto the bottom berth. Soundwave curled into himself, a bit disgruntled at the sudden loss of heat.

"Password, change tomorrow."

"Che. Stingy."

His symbionts were snoring in the berth above. Soundwave heard shuffling, then the weight of another mech settled across his body.

"Thundercracker, leave. Heavy."

The mech shifted and the tapedeck felt vibrations from the other frame as he laughed. "Nope. I'm comfy."

"Thundercracker."

"Let me crash at your place for one night. I'm too lazy and too tired to get up. I promise I won't murder you in your sleep."

"Actions, unwise."

"I'll be gone early in the morning. Nobody will ever know."

Soundwave sighed in exasperation and pushed weakly, and with a chuckle Thundercracker rolled aside. The teal Seeker gave his helm several hearty pats before switching to a caressing motion: tracing edges, dragging a digit against nooks and crooks, stroking an audio. The constant administrations were pulling him back into recharge.

He watched the mech towering above him and bit his lower derma. He did miss their usual and not so usual encounters, no matter how hard he convinced himself.

"Thundercracker's activities two days prior?"

"I was busy. Besides, you seem to dislike my company." Thundercracker smirked. "Did you miss me?"

Soundwave didn't reply. He just pressed into Thundercracker's large servo. The Seeker's hand stilled, but resumed after a while.

"Deployment plans, complete?"

"All wrapped up and done. There'll be a briefing before we execute the plan tomorrow, so you needn't worry too much about that now. Believe it or not, I actually thought up the entire thing, sticks and stones and all that."

"Original idea, Thundercracker's. Responsible for planning."

"Prepare to be amazed, you stick-in-the-mud."

He couldn't understand why the Seeker kept using human expressions that did not apply to Cybertronian culture but he was too tired to care. Soundwave's optics offlined as fatigue consumed him.

* * *

><p>Shrill noises at the back of his processor brought the blue tapedeck back to the land of consciousness, and he groaned as he shut off the annoying repetitive sounds. Soundwave stretched languidly, wanting nothing more than to snuggle back into the wonderfully warm albeit heavy blanket encasing his frame.<p>

Wait.

_**Shit.**_

Soundwave was more than glad he had set his internal alarms earlier than usual (even in 'usual' times, he was still the earliest to online on the Nemesis) since he was currently in a rather compromising position. Thundercracker was sprawled completely over him, with his arms and legs wrapped around Soundwave in a vice-like hold. The tapedeck wiggled in an attempt to break free, however it only made the Seeker tighten his grip. Thundercracker muttered gibberish, something about a hug pillow. Vibrations from his engines reverberated through Soundwave, making him shiver.

Fully awake now, Soundwave tried not to stare at the opposite mech. Their faces were close, dangerously close, so close he could see every detail of the other's faceplate. Thundercracker's facial features weren't as fierce as Starscream's, or sly as Skywarp's, but bold and powerful. His mouth was set in a strong line, his optic ridges drawn together slightly, creating a small frown that further accentuated his perfect masculinity. The telepath resisted the urge to ran a digit along a strong jawline, feeling his cheeks heating up more the longer he stared.

Thundercracker was very, _**very**_ handsome. He wondered why he had never noticed such a thing.

Well, it wasn't like waking up in berth with another mech could be any more awkward.

He stopped short at how utterly _**wrong**_ that thought sounded. All the innuendos and implications came crashing in a wave of paranoia that he preferred not to experience at the moment. His only goal right now was to get away. Luckily he could still move his arms. With one servo clamped tight over Thundercracker's mouth, Soundwave angled his other hand and slammed it sharply against the sleeping Seeker's temple.

Thundercracker jumped a mile into the air and bumped against the upper bunk. The hand over his mouth had muffled the shout, but the collision still created a loud **CLANG**. Soundwave swiftly pulled the teal mech back down, praying to Primus his symbionts wouldn't wake up. Thundercracker gripped his helm in pain and growled an angry 'what the fuck' but was silenced with a seething glare.

Silence, then the snores continued. The telepath breathed out in relief.

"What in the blazes was that fo-" Thundercracker whispered but was cut off mid-sentence when Soundwave grabbed his collar and hauled him off the berth.

"Wha-" Arms and legs flailed as the teal Seeker was dragged to the door. Soundwave panicked when he heard shuffling from his symbionts' berth, and he pushed harder. Thundercracker was digging his pedes into the ground, which wasn't making the job easier.

"Thundercracker, _**leave**_. _**Never**_ mention last night to another mech."

"Calm down, wait a-"

The tapedeck slammed his servo on the security lock and with a final push, threw Thundercracker out. Indignant shouts and curses could be heard from the other side, then the sound of footsteps creeping further away. His back against the door, Soundwave breathed a sigh of relief and took several deep breaths to calm his nerves.

Right that moment, Rumble groggily poked his head out from above. "Boss, you're up already? What's with the ruckus?"

Soundwave immediately sealed off his end of the bond so that the Cassettes wouldn't suspect anything. He quickly mumbled an excuse about banging his head against the upper bunk.

"Whatever, I'm sleeping again." Rumble disappeared, instead a sleepy Frenzy peeked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Boss, why is your face so red?"

* * *

><p>It had been one fantastic recharge. No patients, no pranksters, no explosions, no Decepticons. Ratchet woke up in a good mood.<p>

He walked to the Rec room to get his morning ration, waving at a babbling Bluestreak on the way. Most mechs were awake, some standing near the energon dispenser, some sitting at tables looking half-online. Ratchet snatched a cube and headed to Jazz, Bumblebee and Hound's table.

"Hey Ratchet!" Bumblebee waved. "Good recharge?"

"You bet. Stupid war always messes with my beauty sleep."

Jazz laughed. "You do say, Doc. The Cons have been really quiet these few days. I could use more days like this. I gotta write some music down or my skill's gonna get rusty!"

Suddenly the great monitor flickered, and Ratchet and the others groaned simultaneously. Optimus only called them in the Rec room if something serious was up. Just then said mech entered the room, humming a small tune with a datapad in hand.

Everyone stared at Optimus. He looked oblivious.

"Why are you all looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"

Then the screen onlined with Skywarp's face all over it.

Ratchet _**stared**_. All the Autobots present gaped. Optimus shuttered and unshuttered his optics several times in hope that Skywarp's face was just an illusion. The entire room froze in dead silence. The purple Seeker looked at them cluelessly, glanced around somewhere off-screen then said:

"Oops, wrong line."

Cliffjumper, who was the quickest to recover from the shock, shouted at the Decepticon. "What the _**frag**_ are you doing here, Decepticon scum?!"

"What a nice greeting. Bye bye." Skywarp snorted cynically then searched for the terminate button.

Optimus quickly intervened. "Wait, wait. Skywarp, you just connected with the _**Ark**_, and you expect to just leave without an explanation? What are you doing?"

Skywarp didn't speak for a few seconds, simply watched them with a disdainful pout as if contemplating whether he should indulge the question.

"Skywarp." The Prime said, this time louder. The Seeker shrugged.

"Monitor duty. Everyone went out and I have to stay to watch a bunch of screens. I get bored and tries to mess around on the Internet, but instead I accidentally connects with you fragfaces. Happy?"

Ratchet was immediately alarmed. "Hold on. You said _**everyone**_ went out. To where? What for?"

Skywarp's lips formed into a wicked smirk. "I can't tell you that." He hit a button, and the screen went blank. They were still in post-shock when Red Alert frantically burst into the Rec room.

"Decepticon activity at a power plant fifty miles from the Ark!"

It seemed a bit too coincidental to the medic, but the other seemed to pay no mind. Skywarp was known as a smartaft and a scatterbrain, after all, so Ratchet quickly put his doubt away as he transformed into his alt mode. Optimus straightened himself: "Autobots, roll out!"

When they arrived, the Autobots were surprised to see far less Decepticons than they had expected.

"Um, Prime..." Ratchet looked up at the Autobot leader, who seemed to be no less bewildered. "It's not like I'm unhappy or anything, but... Skywarp said everyone, and there's like... half of them? Did the rest catch some kind of disease and decide to drop dead at the same time?"

"I'm not sure, Ratchet, but I guess it's a good thing? Since we outnumber them, we should be able to defeat them quicker." Optimus said diplomatically, glancing uncertainly at a cackling Megatron.

"Come on Prime, stop stalling and fight me!"

Optimus just shrugged and charged at the silver gunmech. Ratchet dove behind a wall of boulders when gunfire showered where he previously stood.

"Guys!" Wheeljack's voice echoed from inside the dust clouds. "I have this machine that-"

"_**NO!**_" All Autobots within audio range yelled at the inventor, and he shrank into himself. Wheeljack's inventions almost never went well. Most of the time they exploded. Sometimes there were even side effects.

"It was just a suggestion. No need to get angry..."

Ratchet just sat there and watched the others do their thing. There wasn't really much to do since they outnumbered the 'Cons two to one, and the more violent members of his crew were already taking all the action. It was fun to see Thundercracker being chased by two gun-wielding Lamborghinis, who kept on shouting about the need to perfect their Jet Judo. Thundercracker, on his part, stayed as high in the air as possible.

Optimus' voice rang through their comm.

:Ratchet! Red Alert just reported to me about Decepticon activity two hundred miles from the Ark in the _**opposite**_ direction!:

The white medic blinked in surprise, then it suddenly clicked. _**That's**_ why there was only half of the Decepticon armada. This raid was only a mere decoy.

Primus did the Decepticons just get _**smarter**_?

:I never thought I'd live to see the day when Megatron actually learns from his errors. What do we do?:

:I've already sent the ones at the Ark there to try and keep the situation at bay until reinforcements arrives. Take Ironhide and half of the team and go!:

Ratchet waved to Ironhide and then shouted at the Lambo Twins before leaving:

"You idiots better keep yourself online when I come back, or my collection of wrenches will have the honour to get acquainted with your afts!"

"Go away old man!" They both yelled back in unison.

* * *

><p>:I can't believe this is actually working!: Thundercracker seemed pleasantly surprised. Soundwave had to admit, when he was first briefed of the plan he didn't believe Thundercracker had thought up the entire thing. He crouched down and scanned the surrounding rocks for hidden surveillance cameras and automated guns, then checked for spark signature inside the Ark. It seemed to be deserted.<p>

:Thundercracker, smarter than appearance.:

An indignant cry answered him. :What the hell is _**that**_ supposed to mean? I'll have you know I look like a fricking scholar!:

Soundwave just rolled his optics. :Holograms, functional?:

:Perfectly. It wasn't too hard to make your hologram believable. I mean, you don't usually talk that much anyway, so we only have to run a recording of your "As you command, Lord Megatron" everytime Megatron shouts an order at you. The Cassettes kept the act rolling smoothly.: The teal Seeker laughed. : You don't know since you're not here but it's fragging hilarious 'coz the Autobots fell for it, _**hard**_.:

The tapedeck ran at top speed through the halls to the Command Room, where all the archives and main systems resided. The layout of the Ark's interior was virtually wired into his processor, acquired through various infiltration missions, so it didn't took long.

:Ouch!:

Soundwave froze mid-step. Explosions were followed by a string of curses. :Thundercracker, injured?:

:Nah, just a graze. Half of them just left, though. Guess Starscream's team did their thing. About time, too. It's getting real tiring having to fend off three mechs at once.:

He ruthlessly hacked into the Ark's systems and uploaded the carefully disguised virus, burying it deep within the archives. Soundwave took extra effort to erase his tracks and looped the cameras, then fiddled with the time on the security videos to make the time flow natural.

:Are you done yet? We're getting our ass whooped over here!:

After setting the cameras on auto-loop for two minutes, the blue telepath sprinted out of the Autobots' ship. :Task, complete.:

:Great, now we can retr- : Soundwave's audio was met with shouts and rocks crumbling in the distance. :Frag! Talk when we get back.: The teal mech cut his commlink immediately.

Soundwave crept low and slowly away from the Ark. Only when certain he was out of the surveillance cameras' range that he broke into take-off and launched himself skyward, racing back to the Decepticon warship as quickly as his thrusters allowed. When he arrived, the Nemesis was eerily devoid of activity. Soundwave didn't need to check to know Skywarp was the only one on board. The more he waited, the more his apprehension grew. He pinged Thundercracker repeatedly but received no response. Did something went wrong with the mission?

_'Cassetticons, respond.'_

_'Oh hey Boss. Rumble here.'_

_'Situation under control?'_

_'Well... Things went a little weird here. You remember that crackpot Autobot inventor?'_

Wheeljack. _'Affirmative.'_

_'Apparently he brought along one of his new inventions and had it heading towards where Megs was, who happened to be wrestling with Prime near the power plant. It exploded, predictably enough, and the explosion was __**so**__ huge it took down a huge section of the power plant along with both Megatron and Prime. It was an awesome explosion, like fireworks! There were sparks and glowing lights and smokes an-'_

_'Rumble.'_ Soundwave didn't need to know how spectacular the explosion was, he only need to know what's going on.

_'Right. Both are currently stuck under the rubble. Hope they're still alive. We have to work with the Autobots to dig out the two, and it sucks. We're still digging.'_

_'No casualties?'_

_'We're OK, don't worry, Boss.'_ His voice suddenly turned sly, and the marine tapedeck could feel mischief radiating from Rumble's side. _'...If you're also asking about Thundercracker, he's fine. Just a bit scruffy.'_

Flustered, Soundwave sent a reprimanding burst at the hellion, who laughed and shut off the bond. That... Since when did his symbionts have all these stupid assumptions?

Rumble's words assured him a little, though.

The marine tapedeck nearly jumped for joy when figures approached the hatch, but immediately deflated when he realized that it was Starscream's fleet. The tri-colored Seeker landed with a screech of metal on metal, then gripped both of Soundwave's shoulders so tight it hurt.

"What happened to Thundercracker's team? Why isn't he answering me?"

Soundwave didn't bother to reply. He just stared back blankly. Starscream growled angrily and shoved him aside before marching inside, no doubt seeking Skywarp. The telepath instructed the rest of Starscream's team to carry what they had collected to the storage chambers, with a short notice for Hook to prepare for possible patients. The two raids were intended to be mere distractions, they weren't meant to produce anything, but extra fuel was a welcomed bonus. When he was sure they were all gone, Soundwave sat down on the Nemesis' deck and fiddled with the hatch controls, nervously waiting for Megatron and the others to return.

At long last, there was a flash of teal at the horizon, and Megatron's team came into view. Then the tapedeck saw Thundercracker, radiant sunlight bounced of his armors, reflecting its colors and momentarily blinding his optics with shimmering gold. Thundercracker's shade of teal was unique, and amongst the approaching shapes, it only took him a glance to tell where the Seeker was.

Smelt it. He really liked Thundercracker's teal. There wasn't anything quite like it.

Megatron was the first to land and he only nodded at Soundwave instead of the usual greeting. The Warlord didn't speak to any of them at all, he just headed straight to the Command Room. Soundwave was decidedly confused by this unusual behavior when a dark grey servo tapped his forearm and he felt himself smothered under the collective weight of five smaller frames.

"Boss!" The cassetticons yelled in unison. They smelled of muck and grime. Soundwave peeled them off his body, gave every one a good job pat on the helm and shooed them off to take a bath.

Thundercracker gave him a merry wave. :Ey!:

The blue tapedeck scanned Thundercracker for injuries, finding only small dents and a shallow cut on his shoulder. He ushered the other mech towards the Command Room.

:Megatron, unwell?:

:Nah. He's been like that since we pulled him up from the rubble. Been kinda quiet on the way back here.: The teal Seeker looked in the direction Megatron went in a contemplative manner. :Strange they didn't kill eachother while trapped down there. Prime didn't say anything when the Autobots pulled him out either. They just kind of nod at eachother then parted ways.:

Thundercracker beamed at him, preening like a proud peacock. :Miscalculations aside, my plan is awesome, isn't it? They never suspected a thing!:

:Thundercracker's performance: excellent.: The blue telepath murmured and gave the other's arm a light squeeze. Thundercracker's optics widened in surprise, then he smiled.

:Now I'm sure the universe is coming to an end.: He laughed when Soundwave sent him a glare.

"Soundwave. How long does it take for the plan to come into action?" When he and Thundercracker showed up, Megatron seemed to have regained his normal self. Starscream and Skywarp immediately dragged the teal mech away despite his protests. Soundwave looked on, a bit sullen.

"Blaster's usual system check-up: 12:00 a.m Earth time. Preparations, must be made before designated time."

The gunformer's features broke into a feral grin, and Soundwave wore the same expression underneath his mask. Out of the corner of his optics, he caught Thundercracker grinning in the same way.

They only had to wait a day after all. It would be absolutely _**glorious**_.

* * *

><p>We've reached 40 follows and 30 favs. Oh God oh God I don't deserve such a wonderful thing (melts into a puddle of shame and dies).<p>

In this chapter I introduced another point of view - Ratchet's (do hope it's not confusing to keep up). His point of view is only supportive, and will only be used when the plot dictates so you guys don't have to worry too much.

Thanks to everyone who read, faved, followed and reviewed! It makes my day :')

Peace!


	9. Chapter 9

**Marine Teals**

:asdffgh: comm link

_plain italics_: flashbacks - memories

**Chapter 9**

"You know, by now I'd think you could have gone easier on me." Thundercracker mumbled disgruntledly, flinging his stylus onto the table. It rolled all the way across to Soundwave's side.

"Thundercracker, insist on game. Decision, regrettable?" The Seeker just glowered at the amusement in the Communication Officer's tone. There was that almost-adorable-but-not-supposed-to-be tilt of the helm, and Thundercracker mentally cursed his optics for not automatically shorting out upon viewing such an abominable gesture. Primus it pissed him off.

"Like Pit I am."

The other mech gently picked the pen up and held it up for him to claim. Their fingers brushed lightly against each other and both Decepticons jerked away as if electrocuted.

The teal Seeker stared hard at his game board to distract himself, as if somehow the intensity of his gaze would burn a hole though the damn thing. Where would Soundwave hit next? As routine and uptight as the tapedeck was, he was also random as hell. Soundwave seemed to always calculate at least three steps ahead of him. He stiffened when he felt the pressure of an intent, highly unnerving gaze boring through his cranium shell and quirked an optic ridge. "Is something the matter?"

Soundwave remained quiet and continued staring at him with a slightly inquisitive glint in his visor. What had he done (he was sure he hadn't done anything) to offend the marine mech now? Then something clicked.

"Alright, fine, I haven't exactly had a proper talk with my Trinemates, OK? You'll have to understand, elaborating on this topic is awkward as hell, because my Trinemates, while they can be flexible and sharp when they need to, are more stubborn and obtuse than pack mules in this matter. They simply won't listen."

"Attempts, not well executed."

Thundercracker breathed an indignant huff. "I tried _**twice**_ already! They never listen! What am I supposed to do? And can you not remind me about this problem every waking moment of my miserable existence?" Feeling rather like reality had betrayed him – with the way things are going recently, Soundwave was the only mech he trusted to make his mind at ease nowadays – the Seeker sunk down in his seat to glare daggers at the offending mech. There went a pleasant morning.

"Situation, uncomfortable."

"Tell that to me."

"Soundwave, disinclined to be involved in Trine affair."

"Well too bad, because you're already in deep."

Soundwave sighed softly. "Trinemates' reactions and words?"

Thundercracker bit his dermas. The information regarding the quarrels were something he never thought Soundwave would ask, and he was not comfortable sharing such sensitive matter with the carrier mech. Because it mostly had to do with how his trinemates saw in him and Soundwave. Because telling Soundwave – a.k.a the reason for the fights – that he was an opportunistic and psychopathic emo who was preventing him from spending time with Starscream and Skywarp wasn't exactly cool beans.

"If you tell me what you and Starscream were fighting about in the hallway then I'll tell you. And why do you care so much anyway?"

It was Soundwave's turn to go stiff, his visor flickering with uncertainty. Thundercracker waited for a few minutes, but it seemed the Communication Officer was intent on keeping his mouth clammed shut.

"If you want to play it that way, fine! I'm playing fair, and unless you say something, I won't let slip a single word. I will deal with my problem when I see fit."

"Decepticon armada, benefit from- "

"Is the Decepticon's best interest the only thing you ever care about?" The teal Seeker threw his arms up in extreme aggravation. "My discomfort counts for nothing, does it? As long as the war goes in the Cons' favor everything is good! You only ever help me because it will benefit you and the Decepticons in some way!"

Soundwave's visor grew a deeper red. "Assumption, incorrect!"

"Oh? So you admit you care then?"

The tapedeck didn't reply.

"You're cold, Soundwave. I feel like I am always the one who try to reach out to you. You never actively befriend me unless it is in return for something I did. I _**care**_. I don't want to keep extending amicability to a mech who is unlikely to return at least half of the full amount." Roughly shoving the chair aside, Thundercracker stormed out of Soundwave's chamber, sparing back only a glance. Soundwave's visor blanched a little more than normal as he fumbled to say something to prevent the other from leaving.

Thundercracker rushed out of the room before he changed his mind.

* * *

><p>"Don't think your boss can just bribe me and everything will go back to normal!" The teal Seeker hissed at the Cassetticons, who somehow had found a way to break into his Trine's room and were currently annoying the crap out of him.<p>

"You moron. It's not a bribe, it's an apology. Seriously, Frenzy, I don't get why Boss have to be so nice to this fragger. He's gone soft."

Thundercracker stared at the purple symbiont and snorted cynically. "No fragging way has he gone soft on me."

"You're just too dense to realize it. The way he looks at you is enough proof. I hope, unlike the hundreds of savages in this Pit-slagging army, you're sensible enough to read the signs, because they're so bloody obvious it isn't even funny." Thundercracker just stared at the twins as if they had fused together at the neck and grown a third head in the middle.

"He's still doubting us."

"How much do you really know about carriers?"

The Seeker shuttered his optics at the sudden change of subject. "Well, not much, only that they usually have a legion of minions that is won through trust and... that they are quite sought after as potential mates." He didn't even know where **that** came from. Years of unwittingly listening to gossips had unexpectedly paid off. If Soundwave had known what the majority of the crew said behind his back in private, the marine mech would probably had a nervous breakdown.

He mentally shuddered when he recalled an eavesdropping eons ago. He'd joined the war long before he went on the Nemesis but back when he was still new to the Nemesis crew. Being unfamiliar with the interiors and the members of the vessel, he used his spare time to wander around. He'd regretted this decision ever since.

_"So you're the new recruit?"_

_Thundercracker stopped when he heard voices around the hallway turn. There were a completely unfamiliar voice - the new guy, maybe? - and also Barricade's and Swindle's._

_"Y - yes, sir."_

_"Polite, huh? Good."_

_"You wouldn't want to be scrapped on your first day here, would you? Being as nice as we are, we'd let you on a few tips to survive, cuz it's a jungle out there. For a small fee, of course." Yep, definitely Swindle._

_"T - thank you!"_

_"Number 1: Do not anger Megatron or Starscream. Or Soundwave. Especially __**not**__ Soundwave. That creep knows everything that happens on this ship. Megatron and Starscream are dangerous, but if you know the workings, you can avoid trouble with them. __**You can't read Soundwave**__. He can get rid of you as silently and effortlessly as he wishes. Watch out for him. __**All. The. Time.**__"_

_"Two: trust no one and nothing unless it's proven. Everyone out there's gonna find a way to fuck with you."_

_"Three: Do not mess with the Command Trine - Thundercracker and Skywarp - or Starscream'll kill you. The same goes for Soundwave's midgets."_

_"The... sparklings? Tiny mech-beasts thingies?" Pit, this newbie was more clueless than Skywarp._

_"Yeah." A guffaw. "The birds. The cat. The two little kiddies. Just don't let Soundwave hear you call them sparklings."_

_"Who's... Soundwave?"_

_"What, you don't know? How useless can you be? At least try to remember the names and faces of the most high-ranking soldiers!"_

_"The one with the flat glass chassis and shoulder rifle. Blue and white with streaks of red."_

_"Oh, the one with the visor and mask?" The new guy said in recognition. "He's hot."_

_A deafening silence. Thundercracker froze. He found Soundwave __**hot**__? __**Soundwave**__, of all goddamn mechs? What the actual fuck?_

_"... Listen, kid. You do __**not**__ want to go there."_

_"Which brings me to number 4: __**Do not hit on the commanders and Megatron.**__ Ever. They may come onto you but __**never**__ do the opposite. Especially __**not**__ to Soundwave. Unless you want to vanish from the surface of this world without a trace."_

_"You'd be the Nemesis' first suicidal Decepticon if you flirt with that guy. He may look all delicate and shit, but he can kill. He won't hesitate to lose an arm if it means he gets to decapitate you."_

_"Now __**scram**__. Try not to die."_

_Pedesteps echoed through the halls, and Thundercracker prayed to Primus they wouldn't head in his direction. Thankfully they went the other way._

_"Could you believe that new scrapheap?"_

_"He should've known better than that. Half the mechs in this ship would kill to get a one-night stand with Soundwave. They'd murder him if he tries anything."_

_"Can't deny he's got good eyes, though."_

_The teal Seeker didn't like where this was going._

_"Huh, yea... The other day I was hanging around with the Combaticons in the hallway when Soundwave walked by. Guess where the conversation went? We ended up talking about how we'd shove him into the walls and frag him until coolant tears stream down his cheeks and his knees become so weak he can't stand anymore."_

_"Oh mech, __**that**__ graphic?"_

_"If you were there you wouldn't have said that. Have you seen the way he moves?"_

_"Yeah. Smoother than highgrade, his moves... And those hips and legs, too..."_

_"If I could, I would run my servos all over his thighs. And the buttons would be a nice little kink, no?"_

_Thundercracker speedwalked out of audioshot as quietly as his pedes would allow before he suffered permanent cranial shutdown, but the damage was done._

That was just an _**example**_. Over the years he had heard enough to seriously fear for his mentality and maybe a little bit concerned about the tapedeck's safety.

Primus, mental scars were hard to erase.

Rumble scrunched his nose at the term 'minions'. "Do you know why carrier models are so desirable as mates?"

He shook his head. Aside from the appearance, Soundwave isn't exactly role model.

"That's because it's a carrier's nature to be caring towards others. It's wired into their core programming. Care is vital to carrier culture because for both the carrier and his symbionts to coexist, they have to truly care for one another, almost on a family level. The care isn't confined to symbionts, however. Most carriers treat their loved ones carefully like a treasure."

He didn't exactly mean "desirable" in that sense. He was thinking something along the line of carnal pleasures, but there's no need to correct the symbiont. "Doesn't look like it. He's the coldest, most emotionless mech in the Decepticon army!"

"You're not at "that" level yet." Rumble made air quotes. "Maybe when you get there, you'll see what we mean. _**If**_ you can even get there. This is as close as you'll ever get to Boss, so don't you dare push it."

Thundercracker glared down at the thing the symbionts had just given him, then glared back up at the Cassetticons' smug faces. Well, at least Rumble and Frenzy were visibly smug, but the Aerial Twins and Ravage were also giving the impression of being smug little bastards. The blue foil crystal, the one he saw on Soundwave's desk the first time he was in there, now laid in his palm. It was a bit unnerving that Soundwave seemed to know he liked this one, and also a bit spark warming.

"Ravage says Boss spent the longest on that one." Frenzy commented as the Cassetticons made for the exit. "So you have to keep it well."

Thundercracker threw a disdainful look at the foil crystal in his hand and then at the disposal bin nearby. His arm hovered over the bin but he hesitated for some reason and in the end placed the infernal thing on his desk. The Seeker took a few step back to inspect his newly acquired gift's position on his desk, cocking his head left and right to best admire the way the light reflect off the edges.

"What'd ya have there, T.C?"

With a turn of the head so quick he was sure his neck cables would snap right off, Thundercracker whirled around to see Skywarp standing in the doorway with a dorky grin.

"Ah, um… Nothing. Just some stupid rocks I picked up while flying outside."

"Let me see!" The purple mech tried to catch a glimpse but was immediately blocked.

"It's nothing of interest, really."

"Then lemme see!"

"No –"

Suddenly a weight hit him from behind, making the teal Seeker stumble forward. He immediately realized Skywarp had warped behind him, but it was too late. Skywarp was holding his foil creation in one hand, and he turned to the teal Seeker with his optics narrowed. Thundercracker mentally smacked himself. What was he _**thinking**_, putting Soundwave's foil crystal in his shared chamber where Skywarp and Starscream could easily see?

"T.C... What's this?"

Thundercracker raised his sevos in a placating manner while slowly inching closer, optics never leaving the foil crystal. Maybe if he surprise his Trinemate, then he could get it back without breaking it too much. "Well, it's-"

"It's from Soundwave, isn't it?" Skywarp's voice grew louder in anger.

"Skywa-"

"I don't even _**know**_ what's going on with you anymore, T,C!" The purple and black Seeker yelled, stomping one pede hard in the floor like a spoiled sparkling. "You spent every free minute hanging around that creep! I don't even _**see**_ you anymore! You changed, T.C. You used to hang out with us more. You use to act more like a _**Trinemate**_ to Starscream and me!"

Thundercracker stood stock still at Skywarp's outburst. Something inside him snapped. Before he knew it he was shouting too.

"Maybe if you two aren't so against me being friends with Soundwave then I wouldn't hang around him so often!"

"Who's more important: your Trinemates or a random stranger? I miss you. _**We**_ miss you!"

"He's _**not**_ a stranger." Thundercracker tried to pacify himself. "As far as I know there's no rules against being friends with your comrades. What's wrong with me doing that?"

"Hah. _**FRIENDS?**_" Skywarp's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "The way that freak looks at you isn't the way friends look at eachother. He's bewitched you, T.C. He's taking you away and I _**despise**_ him for it!" With those final words, the purple Seeker closed his fist and crushed the crystal foil in his palm. Thundercracker stared horrified at the remains of the beautiful trinket as Skywarp flung the scraps into a corner with a look of disgust.

He crushed it.

Oh. Thundercracker was absolutely _**livid**_. He was so slagging furious he could murder a dozen mechs in cold energon and not feel even a shred of remorse. But the teal seeker refrained himself from shouting because he knew the most effective and terrorizing way to address his fury to such an infuriatingly obtuse mech like Skywarp was to be calm and civilized.

"That was a gift." He said quietly. Skywarp seemed thrown off by his level demeanor and was staring at him, wide-opticked. "Soundwave is pleasant. He's considerate. He doesn't monopolize. He helps me and I help him. He has a bunch of other qualities that you two will never have. So unless you and Starscream learn to share, then I will be seeing him a lot more."

He shouldered past Skywarp and stormed out before the purple Seeker could say anything or stop him.

* * *

><p>Stupid, stupid, <em><strong>stupid<strong>_! A few slaps to the helm only helped to make him feel more stupid. Why did that foil crystal mean so much anyway? He was supposed to be _**angry**_ at Soundwave, not _**defend**_ him! The anger had deflated as quickly as it came, leaving only a feeling of sadness and hollow.

Had he really changed that much?

Thundercracker tried to reason with himself, that his Trinemates were simply being paranoid and irrational, that they were reading too much into things, but he knew the excuse couldn't stand. He neglected his Trine in favor of Soundwave. There was a rift between him and Skywarp and Starscream, and it was widening day by day. He had to do _**something**_. However, that 'something' would surely include cutting off all ties with the blue tapedeck, and Thundercracker didn't want to lose what little connection he had with Soundwave. He liked spending time with the mech.

He _**liked**_ Soundwave. In a friendly manner.

The teal Seeker took his helm in his hands and groaned. He practically ruined his bond with the Communication Officer today. Soundwave probably hated him even more now.

He heard footsteps approaching and turned to the source of the sound only to find the one mech he wanted to see the least in this situation. Soundwave.

Sometimes he wondered if the marine telepath had a sixth sense. Soundwave took a step then stopped as if waiting for permission. Thundercracker raised his wings high and tense, wrapped his field tightly around himself, indicating he didn't wish for company.

"Go away, Soundwave. I don't feel like talking to you right now."

Shuffles, then the sound of metal against metal. Thundercracker looked to the side to see the blue tape player had gingerly positioned himself right beside him. He growled in warning but Soundwave neither turned nor made any indication he had heard Thundercracker's disapproval.

"Why are you here?" He regarded sourly.

"Soundwave: on duty."

"I'm pretty sure this is not your shift."

"Soundwave's current task: maintenance on docking bay's data ports. Duty, not limited to shifts only." The marine mech stated with force, but he wasn't making eye contact with Thundercracker. The corner of the teal seeker's mouth turned up into a smirk.

"Were you looking for me?"

Soundwave's visor went darker, and the tapedeck drew his own knees up, refusing to look at the other mech. He's embarrassed. How adorable.

The heavy silence stretched on until Soundwave spoke up, and he was surprised that the marine mech sounded… hurt. "Thundercracker, accept Soundwave's apology? Soundwave, will not pry."

"… No, no. I should be the one who's sorry. I didn't mean what I said. I was angry."

"Negative. Thundercracker's anger, understandable and reasonable." A soft sigh. "Soundwave… not the most expressive."

"Not expressive would be an understatement of the vorn, you know," the teal Seeker chuckled, earning a glare from the other mech. Frag it if he ruined the moment, it was way too funny not to comment. "… You don't have to explain yourself, though. I know this is how you roll, and I couldn't care less if you are not as outwardly affectionate as most mechs. You just... throw me into a loop sometimes, you know? I'm never sure about your thoughts and reactions, so usually I don't know what to do. We _**are**_ friends, right? However loosely that term applies."

The Communication's Officer wrung his servos together nervously, his visor light giving a few unsure flickers. Distantly Thundercracker thought about how ironic it was that the Communication Expert himself failed so much in real life interactions. Then the blue mech mumbled so quietly that he had to lean forward to catch his words.

"… Affirmative."

"That's all I need to hear." The Seeker lifted his gaze to the sky and remarked after a long pause.

"This is becoming a problem."

Soundwave huffed. "Understatement."

"Really... I say I'm going to solve this, but it's not like I can do much to them. Throwing hissy fits can only work so much."

"That fact, known."

"Are you not going to reply in any sentence with over five words?"

"Negative."

"Awfully talkative today, aren't you?" He gave a humorless chuckle. "That... thingy you gave me... it's gone now. Skywarp squashed it into itty bitty pieces. I couldn't even give it a proper funeral."

He didn't turn to look at Soundwave until he heard the sound of crumpling thin-leafed metal. Long, elegant blue digits folded the foil, smoothing out creases and crafting patterns. Back in the days foil creation was a high art that had few practitioners because it required imagination, skill and endless patience. Thundercracker found himself staring mesmerised at Soundwave's servos as they danced across the foil sheet in precise, graceful movements.

He was making a new foil craft just because Thundercracker said his old one was broken? The Seeker's fuel tank did a weird flip-floppety, and there was this strange giddiness clouding his processor, like he was drunk on fine high-grade.

_... it's a carrier's nature to be caring towards others..._

"You know, uh…" Thundercracker swallowed, trying to articulate his thoughts. "My Trinemates think that you are just trying to use me for your own goals."

Soundwave's hand stilled. His visor darkened a few shades, but he resumed his crafting, so the teal mech took it as a sign to continue.

"Simply put, they don't trust you. Scratch that, they _**hate**_ you. You already know plenty of adjectives they use to describe you on a daily basis, so I'm gonna spare you the pain of listening to them again. They think that you coerce me into spending time with you, and that you are manipulating my presence. They… They are just plain ridiculous."

There was no answer from the other mech, though Thundercracker could tell he was furious. The tapedeck continued to work in silence. After a few touch-ups, Soundwave surveyed his work for flaws, then offered his creation to the Seeker. He cradled the avian object in his servos, awed. It was an eagle with its wings spread wide as if soaring in the air. The lights hitting it at all the right angles, gliding off the winged appendages only increased its majestic appearance.

A smile pulled at Thundercracker's lips. He didn't know why such simple gestures from the tapedeck always seemed to lighten up his mood, no matter how crazy he felt. He liked that Soundwave never imposed his presence. He never hollered for attention or demanded respect. He was just... _**there**_, and that was very comforting.

"… Trinemates' antics, not surprising. Starscream's assumptions, similar: Thundercracker exploited by Soundwave." The telepath breathed out in exasperation.

"Oh Primus fuck. That was what he told you that time? So what do you think we should do now?"

There was something apologetic in the blue mech's gaze, and Thundercracker felt a sense of dread. A long pause. "... Frequency of interaction, must be diminished. Suggestion: cease acquaintanceship."

The Seeker's mind stalled. He didn't want that. No. Maybe it was because of the way Soundwave just sat there looking guilty like he murdered Thundercracker's grand uncle and stole his secret collection of crackle sticks, or maybe the Seeker was just going through a rebellious phase and wanted to break rules and mess things up to see how far he could get away with it. Either way, Thundercracker flipped out completely.

"… Screw them."

Soundwave stared at him in surprise, shocked at the forcefulness of his words.

"I'm _**sick**_ of them poking their meddling noses in my business!" The telepath flinched a little at his outburst, but Thundercracker paid no mind, and continued on with his rambling.

"_**I**_ am going to decide what I do and who I befriend, not _**them**_. They have no right. I am _**not**_ going back to being strangers again. I've worked too hard to get to this point to back down!"

A tiny sound escaped the tape player as he quietly regarded Thundercracker, and Soundwave tilted his head to the side, visor dimmed to a warm, mellow glow. There was definitely a glimmer of confusion, relief, and also... fondness? The blue telepath tugged at his arm and motioned for him to bend down. Puzzled, Thundercracker did just that.

Soundwave leaned up, then light fingers grazed the top of Thundercracker's helm as he was petted. Glass chest lightly scraped against his and his spark pounded in his chassis as he felt a foreign rush of adrenaline at their frames' proximity. Then, without rhyme or reason, the blue telepath craned his helm up to lightly brush the edge of his battle mask against Thundercracker's cheek.

Thundercracker froze on the spot as Soundwave's pliant frame settled more tentatively against his own, battle mask now fully pressed against his faceplate, backstrut slightly arched, visor offlined, ventilations soft. A blue hand came up to grip his shoulder for balance. Soundwave made a small noise at the back of his throat, and Thundercracker felt butterflies bloom in his fuel tank. He was having a serious case of the warm fuzzies. Even in his processor-paralyzed state, some subconscious part of him told him to place one servo on the small of the tapedeck's back.

Primus, his hips were so small.

_I would run my servos all over his thighs..._

His other servo slowly migrated to Soundwave's legs and ventured a gentle touch, feeling the warm, smooth metal underneath. The tapedeck shifted his hips so that he was nearly straddling the teal mech's lap, and Thundercracker grew bolder, laying his hand near Soundwave's blue aft. They were alone on the docking bay, and whatever transpired between them stayed a secret of both mechs. It was tempting and a bit scary.

_... shove him into the walls and frag him until coolant tears stream down his cheeks and his knees become so weak he can't stand anymore... _

His faceplate lit up as if on fire. Bad, _**bad**_ Thundercracker! This was no time to think of those memories!

His action seemed to startle the slighter mech, as Soundwave's visor suddenly flashed online and the telepath immediately jerked away from the Seeker. Thundercracker recovered quickly enough to grab Soundwave by the forearm, shooting the other a questioning look and was shocked to see the unguarded confusion and panic on the Communication Officer's face. Soundwave wrung his arm hard enough for Thundercracker to topple backwards, giving him an opportunity to slip away.

The teal Seeker laid there for a while, wondering what the hell was wrong with the both of them. He remembered how the white arm in his grasp shook as he pulled Soundwave back. The tapedeck had launched into hysteria when Thundercracker looked at him, and he had never seen Soundwave so confused and lost. As if he wasn't even aware of what he had been doing.

What had gotten over _**Thundercracker**_ was another problem. He just made a move on the telepath. _**Primus.**_

Thundercracker felt troubled. That had been incredibly nice, whatever that was. That was also the closest thing to intimacy that Soundwave had ever allowed between them.

And was that a mask - on _**kiss**_ on the cheek?

* * *

><p>"Blaster, stop. Just. Stop. I could hear you blasting your Primus forsaken rock and roll all the way down the hall in the medbay, and it's murdering my audios."<p>

The red and yellow boombox glanced at the Autobot medic, who entered the monitor room with both servos clamped tight over the two sides of his helm. Blaster's dermas stuck out in an indignant pout.

"Whaddaya mean, _'murdering your audios'_? Rock and roll is the jam, mech!"

"My aft it is. Just turn down the volume. I can't work with this level of noisiness."

"Well too bad then!" Blaster grinned a slag-eating grin. The chevron mech resisted the urge to punch that insolent smile out of his faceplate. Youngsters these days had no respect for veterans.

"You're supposed to be on _**monitor duty**_, not listening to a bloody _**metal concert**_!"

"Fine, I'll check the archives." Blaster dropped back into his chair, flicking through a few switches, flitting between different surveillance cameras. Ratchet turned to leave, but was jerked back when the other mech called his name.

"I didn't say you could leave, Ratchet. Primus forbid if you sit down and relax for a while. You've been doing nothing but work for a joor now. Help yourself to some mid-grade, there's a dispenser in the corner." The red carrier mech pointed to a nearby chair. "If rock's not your thing, then I'll play some classicals. I've heard old mechs love classicals."

Ratchet's optics narrowed in suspicion. "… This isn't some elaborate plot to pull me away from my workplace, is it?"

Blaster raised his hands in mock resignation. "You've got me, my mech."

The Autobots were always contriving up plans to make Ratchet leave the medbay and take a rest, ranging from sparkfelt persuasion, mild to extreme annoyance, and downright threats of physical and mental harm. Ratchet never yielded unless he felt like it or too amused by the ridiculous attempts. Once Sideswipe commed him, screaming something about getting his spike stuck in a fan, and he faked the pain so well Ratchet was genuinely fooled. The hellion did sounded as if he was being castrated. The medic had to abandon sorting out his surgical tools to come to Sideswipe's aid, only to find out that he was having a game of cards with five other Autobots. The group had locked the room and refused to let Ratchet out until he had had at least three games.

The Bots never had to try the same tricks with Prime. Ratchet was menacing enough when he needed to, and they enlisted his aid with enthusiasm. There was nobody to intimidate Ratchet, however, and that was why they had to resort to such methods. It was quite thoughtful of them, though… He guessed Blaster's job was to play the music loud enough to annoy the living Pit out of the medic so that he would come down to confront the boombox. Ratchet bet a million to one some mech had snuck into his medbay and locked it by now.

Might as well enjoy himself.

"I want some Blues, though."

"_**Blues**_? Oh jeez, old mechs' got terrible tastes." The Autobot Communications Officer made a face, but he did chose a decent soft song. "Ironhide even asked me to play some _**country**_ for him once. Primus."

The white medic leaned back in his seat and watched as Blaster dug around in Teletraan-1's archives, checking for corrupted files and spams. With his optics offlined, Ratchet was about to doze off when the red and yellow mech exclaimed in excitement.

"Ooooooooh! What's this?"

"Huh? You found something?"

"Several music files never accessed before! It says in the genre they're all Rock and Roll! Sweet!" He pulled up the files on the biggest screen for Ratchet to see. The medic scrunched his nose in distrust.

"Never accessed? Don't you find it a bit strange?"

Blaster laughed. "Mech, when I arrived on Earth, I downloaded literally _**millions**_ of Earth songs and melodies. I don't know if I've ever listened to them all. I've never checked, so it's possible I've missed a couple. Just last week, I found in the drives three songs I've never heard before!"

He's crazy. This bot is out of his goddamn processor.

"So, my ancient doctor," the boombox swung one arm in a flourish, the other arm already itching on the 'Enter' button. "Are you ready for some sweet new grooves?"

Ratchet immediately sunk lower in his chair and assumed a hunched posture, servos clasped securely over his audios. "Bloody frag! I'm not ready for anything!"

Blaster just barked a hearty laugh, then selected a music file titled "U Can't Touch This".

The moment the Communications Officer opened the file, every monitor in the room froze. Immediately afterwards they started to flicker erratically, flashing between blinding white and pure black. Blaster, realizing his mistake a second too late, slammed on the keyboards in a desperate attempt to stop whatever it was that was happening. Ratchet had a hunch that it was something bad. All monitors switched to a blue screen, all displaying one line in glowing purple:

"_**GET REKT, NOOBZ.**_"

What the shit did that even mean? Was that even proper English? Ratchet swore to Primus, if it was one of those pranks from the Lambo Twins again…

"Frag!" The red carrier mech let out a litany of curses as he fumbled over the consoles, entering strings of complex command to reboot the Ark's systems. At his attempts, the screens changed back to a pitch black, and an ominous laugh echoed through the monitor room's speakers. Then the screens read:

"_**YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE THAT.**_"

A small gif of a program file disappearing came up on the monitors underneath the new words. Blaster continue his curses, and the gravity of the situation slowly dawned on the medic.

Hold on one sec. The words were in _**purple**_.

"Blaster," Ratchet hissed at the panicking boombox, "What the frag have you done?"

"Nothing! I didn't know that music file is rigged! It looked completely normal!" Blaster frantically tried to stop the system breach to no avail.

"Are you even the Autobot Communication Officer or not? Fix that scrap before the virus shut down our entire security system!"

The red mech frantically opened his comm link to everyone on board the Ark, shouting at the top of his vocalizer: "_Security breach! __**SECURITY BREACH!**_Cut the power to Teletraan-1's systems immediately! Secure the perimeter of the Ark and arm yourselves!" He turned to Ratchet. "Doc, pull the emergency level over there!"

The white medic did just that, and suddenly the entire Ark was flushed with spinning red light and sounds of _"Alert! Alert!"_ He heard urgent pedesteps echoeing from the halls, and seconds later every single screen in the expansive monitor room went dark. The only source of light illuminating the two mechs in the chamber was the emergency lamps along the hallways outside and the glow from their blue optics. Ironhide was the first to come to them.

"The frag happened?"

"A virus disguised as a music file was buried in the archives! I have no idea how it got there and how it managed to fool Teletraan-1 into thinking that it is just a normal music file!" Blaster ground out in frustration as he continued to type in a frenzy. "I can't assess the damage it has done to our system, it's way too fast! I could only cut the power so that the virus can't do anything worse than it already has." The Communications Officer opened his commlink and instructed Inferno to reconnect Teletraan-1's computers to the power grid. It took a few minutes passed for Teletraan-1's monitors to online again.

The medic leaned over the consoles to get a better look at the screens and at Blaster's reactions, because he didn't really have the expertise to directly judge the extensiveness of the damage to Teletraan-1. The more Blaster worked, the more his expressions blanched. His mouth was set in a thin line of grim determination, and Ratchet and Ironhide knew better than to disturb the carrier mech. They whispered to eachother instead, updating the other about the situation.

"Ironhide, any attack warnings or anything?"

"None yet. Everyone's on high alert, though. Tracks and Mirage are patrollin' the perimeter for any 'Con activity. What happen'd here? Ah didn't really get it."

"Blaster found these unopened music files while cleaning up the system. We didn't suspect anything because Teletraan-1 didn't say there was anything wrong with them, and Blaster has a habit of downloading music and not listening to them all. So we opened one, and this virus just broke loose. We told the others to cut the power to the monitors to contain the breach, and warned everyone of a possible attack."

The red and yellow mech slowly pushed himself away from the monitors, one servo massaging the bridge of his nose. "Well, if the Decepticons were to hit us now, we're pretty much fragged."

"What do you mean? How much did that virus break? We literally let it out for less than two minutes!"

"Yeah, and in that two minutes it has crashed the Ark's entire security system, erased the programming for the ventilation systems and impaired the locking mechanism of half the doors inside the Ark. Every defense mechanism available is dead – the surveillance cameras are gone, the automatic long – range shooters are deactivated, the lights no longer works except for the emergency lamps, and Primus help the mechs who were inside a locked room." Blaster huffed in anger. "I'll have to start from scratch, and it'll take _**days**_ before Teletraan-1 can return to normal, during which time the Ark is vulnerable to all attacks. I've only been able to contain the virus to one domain in the systems, which, ironically, controls the lightings. Sorry for that, but that's the best I could manage. I've never seen something like this before, so it will take some time for me to study and remove it. I'll work on the locking mechanism first, but even that will take me at least thirty minutes. In case of an attack, ya all have to buy me enough time to fix that."

"It's okay. You did what was necessary." Ratchet gave a small gruff.

"Heh… If the purpose of whoever did this was to make me feel inferior then they've succeeded, because I'm feeling it very acutely right now."

Ironhide suddenly broke in, voice dead serious. "… Blaster, next time, ah think ya should shaddup."

The white medic whirled around to face the old soldier. "Ironhide! Watch your mouth! Why'd you say something so rude?"

"Cuz Red Alert just commed me seconds ago, sayin' the Decepticons will likely arrive around the Ark in three minutes."

* * *

><p>:Soundwave.:<p>

No reply. Thundercracker tried again.

:Soundwave? Come on, answer me.:

Now Thundercracker was really concerned. After their little 'session' on the docking bay, Soundwave was avoiding him like the Rust plague again, and he was afraid that their already tenuous friendship had suffered just because Thundercracker couldn't keep his damn servos to himself. He could imagine the tapedeck doing the face - touch thing out of pure friendship, only to be completely creeped out by the Seeker manhandling his thighs.

They were already in enemy territory, and Thundercracker was feeling more and more antsy, not able to dispel a looming sense of dread that threatened to engulf him. It didn't help that Soundwave had not spoken a single word to him since.

"Decepticons, _**ATTACK!**_"

When Megatron gave the command, all the Decepticons immediately threw themselves onto the battlefield and opened fire on the Ark and the Autobots. The Seekers launched skyward for an aerial advantage. Before the blue Communications Officer could join the soldiers, the teal mech swiftly pulled him behind a massive rocky mound, hiding them both from plain sight. Soundwave immediately tried to jerk away, however Thundercracker did not relent his grip on the telepath's shoulders.

"Soundwave, answer me!"

Soundwave started to thrash harder, all the while avoiding optic contact. The teal Seeker squeezed his shoulders a bit tighter, and Soundwave's servos came up to claw at the appendages keeping him hostage. His visor was overly bright, and there were small tremors travelling up and down his blue and white frame.

Was the telepath having a panic attack?

"Did I scare you in any way? Did I displease you?"

No answer, but the trembling increased. An almost imperceptible shake of the helm. Soundwave lowered his helm and doubled his escape attempts. It suddenly dawned on Thundercracker that he was terrifying the other mech.

He released the tapedeck's shoulders to quickly grasp the blue hands with his own, taking care to do so in a gentle and unrestraining way. Soundwave's afraid, the reasons why he didn't know, but he needed to placate him, to show him Thundercracker was not a threat. The Communications Officer looked down bewildered at their joined servos, and he was too surprised to continue his resistance. Slowly, Thundercracker rubbed small circles on the back of Soundwave's servos, and gradually he felt the carrier mech relax in his grip. When the tremors stopped, the Seeker bent down to level their gaze, giving Soundwave an inquiring look.

He couldn't fathom what could make Soundwave act so out of character. Soundwave was never afraid, he was the one who did the terrorizing. It gave him a perverse sort of pleasure, knowing he could have such an effect on the stoic telepath.

"... Matter, can be discussed later?" There was a desperate edge to the tapedeck's monotonous voice, and his visor light almost seemed like a pair of pleading optics. Thundercracker didn't have the spark to press on. He dropped his vocals to a softer tone.

"Ok, just... just answer me something else: why are you here, on the battlefield? Shouldn't you be back at the Nemesis controlling the virus?"

"Virus, already contained by Autobots. Furthermore, virus is programmed, therefore piloting unnecessary."

"But still..." Thundercracker bit his bottom lip, unable to explain himself. There was that antsy feeling again, though the Seeker couldn't wrap his fingers around the cause. Whenever this occurred, something bad was guaranteed to happen. "At least stay back this time?"

The blue mech considered his request for a few seconds then vented lightly. "Thundercracker's concern, appreciated but unfounded. Soundwave, can defend himself." To emphasize his point, Soundwave shrugged his right shoulder, where his rifle pod was currently positioned. The action didn't make Thundercracker any less worried, and he nervously squeezed the smaller servos being held in his own.

Soundwave sighed, shrugging off the Seeker's dark hands. "Departure, overdue." With a final backward glance, the marine tape player disappeared into the midst of the raging gunfire. Deciding that he was being irrational and paranoid, Thundercracker pushed his worries to the back of his mind and instead chose to focus on the battle. He launched himself sky-ward and proceeded to empty his null ray cartridge onto the Autobots. About a third of them was missing, which was a huge advantage for the 'Cons. Thundercracker drifted near the Ark for a few minutes, listening to the frustrated yells and banging of fists against doors. It seemed the virus served its purpose of messing up the Ark's systems, and the virus must have crashed the door opening mechanisms if the thunderous bangs of metal on metal and the shouts of trapped mechs were something to go by. The long-range automatic shooters weren't working either.

Pits, Soundwave was a fragging genius.

His gaze lingered on the marine blue mech moving gracefully like flowing water across the battlefield. It was unlike himself to get distracted in a fight, and on some urgent impulse, Thundercracker touched down and decided to do on-land combat instead. This way, he'd be able to keep an optic on the telepath and for some unknown reason, he's decided to land near the bot. Between throwing not-so-subtle cautious glances at Soundwave and shooting the Autobots in the chassis, the Seeker's mind was thoroughly occupied. Soundwave carried himself with a kind of silent grace, no excess movements or flourish, each motion of sleek limbs precise and resolute. With a slight shift of position, the Communications Officer lined a faraway Autobot in his line of sight and took a single shot. The unfortunate mech dropped to the earth like a broken puppet. With a half-turn of his lithe frame, Soundwave wound his arms around Trailbreaker and performed a Cybertronian equivalent of a human's _harai goshi_, throwing the much-bigger mech onto the ground and knocking him out cold with a single sweep.

Maybe Thundercracker was just being hysterical. Despite unfavorable rumors when it comes to direct combat, the tapedeck's battle prowess was undeniably formidable. For a split astrosec, Soundwave lifted his helm in the Seeker's direction, and he could not tore his optics away from the battle-high mech's glowing visor. Later, Thundercracker would muse, that if he had not stood there like a stranded duck ogling the blue telepath's slim hips and violent optics, he would have noticed Prowl half a kilometer away, aiming his acid pellet shooter at the Seeker and pulling the trigger.

A blue blurr flitted across his vision, and then gunshot. Thundercracker's CPU processed the situation an astrosec too slow and he looked around, bewildered. Soundwave laid crumpled on the ground in a growing pool of his own fluids, his body curled up in a fetal position in an unconscious attempt to protect himself. Thundercracker had a sinking feeling, as if his vocals had dropped to the bottom of his fuel tank. The idiot had taken a shot for him.

"No, no, no, no, no, NO…" His hands frantically moved over the gaping wound on the tapedeck's side, trying to stop the energon flow. Energon splattered all over his lower arms and painted his servos a luminous purple-pink. A sudden flurry of commotion at the Ark had the Seeker sweep his gaze across the battle for a few seconds, and his spark stopped when he saw that the mechs preciously trapped inside the Ark had been liberated, and was helping the dominated Autobots gain the upper hand. Soundwave's shaking blue servo fumbled for its hold on the Seeker's arm.

"Thundercracker, l – leave!" A violent cough, then an agonized wheeze. Soundwave's visor light was a barely – there flicker, dimming quicker by the second. Thundercracker could tell the poor mech was fighting to stay online.

"NO! Why the frag would I leave you here!" He gathered the injured Communication Officer in his lap, eliciting a pained gasp from the other. Pedesteps and shouts resounded in the distance, and Thundercracker knew if he dawdled any moment longer he would risk his own escape, but his surrounding blurred to a stop when he looked down at the trembling marine – white frame he was holding.

"Thundercracker, vacate the battlefield! P – Please! Rescue later!" The telepath's voice dropped to a soft, desperate plea. He calculated his options. The Decepticons were already retreating, deeming the damage they had caused enough. It was impossible to carry Soundwave back on his own while make a safe escape at the same time, and he doubt that anybody would want to help. They could always rescue Soundwave later, but… It was this moment that he knew his processor was no longer capable of logical reasoning because no rational thought could push him to move and save himself. The teal mech hugged the tapedeck closer, ignoring the continuous comm pings from his Trinemates.

It was illogical. It was moronic.

"No."

Soundwave gaped at him. "B – But…"

"I'm staying and that's final. We're gonna be captured together and I don't care how stupid it sounds. At least this way I know what these fuckers might do to you."

Helms appeared in the distance behind the rocky hills. Thundercracker had lost his chance. The half – awake tape player gathered the last of his strength to feebly hit the Seeker on the helm. Thundercracker didn't feel the force of the hit at all, and it terrified him. This is bad. This is really bad.

"Thundercracker, _**stupid**_!" His words lacked force or spite, and was lighter than a breath of air. He sounded as if he was laughing and crying at the same time.

"Yeah, but as of now I'm your problem." The Autobots were sprinting at them at top speed. Thundercracker leaned down so that his face and Soundwave's were almost touching, effectively shielding them both from prying optics. Those self-righteous bastards had no right to intrude on this moment. "So just enjoy it while you can, m'kay? I'm sure it would be insanely maddening to spend time alone in a brig surrounded by Autobots."

Soundwave didn't even seem to have the energy to laugh, so the marine mech settled for a small giggle. It was a foreign sound coming from such a stoic mech, and the knowledge that he was the cause of it made the teal Seeker brighten up. The Communications Officer closed the tiny distance between them and gently bumped the edge of his battle mask against Thundercracker's nasal ridge. Then his visor light flickered off as his body fell limp in the Seeker's arms, hands falling onto the ground with a silent thud.

* * *

><p>Ratchet knew the moment he caught a blur of teal blue that he knew something was off. The EM field ahead of them hummed with barely suppressed rage, energy being thrown off in erratic waves, clashing violently against the Autobots'. Jazz winced as a particular vicious EM wave hit his field.<p>

"Is this really Thundercracker's field? I've never seen it like this before…"

The Seeker's back was turned towards them, wings pulled high and rigid on his shoulders, his body hunched over a smaller blue and white frame. It didn't take the white medic long to realize the other frame belonged to an unconscious Soundwave. Who was bleeding energon profusely all over the ground.

"Freeze!"

Thundercracker didn't even bother to turn to face them, still hugging the injured mech and silently attending to his wounds. Ratchet was itching to get to the bleeding mech, Decepticon or not, but his instinct told him if he were to approach the teal Seeker right now, he would had a very high chance of getting mauled.

"Screw off." Thundercracker's voice was very tight and restrained.

Some mechs, like Cliffjumper, however, did not like being ignored by his enemies. The Minibot took a few steps towards Thundercracker, yelling at the top of his vocalizer:

"You fragging filthy 'Con! You don't know your position here do you?"

Everything happened in a split astrosec. One moment Cliffjumper was shouting profanities at Thundercracker, the next he was lying on the ground, thrashing and screaming, energon splattered all over his right shoulder. The teal Seeker had his right arm raised, smoke wisps still escaping from his null ray nozzle. All guns were immediately directed towards Thundercracker, who simply settled back to his previous crouching position with a growl.

"If he doesn't keep his mouth shut, next time it won't be his shoulder."

Silence washed through the wasted land, the Autobots too flabbergasted at seeing ever-calm, thoughtful Thundercracker so trigger-happy to utter a word. Thundercracker was one of the hardest mechs to provoke, yet at this moment he was so abnormally aggressive. Ratchet watched Thundercracker's arm circled Soundwave's prone frame protectively, secure enough to guard but loose enough to allow him quick reaction, and he wondered. Were they…?

"Thundercracker…" Optimus tried. "Soundwave's wounded."

There was a searing edge to the normally peaceful mech's drawn-out answer, so alien it even made the Prime cringe. "I wonder whose fault that was."

"Thundercracker," Ratchet cut in while giving Cliffjumper a temporary patch job, just enough so that he wouldn't lose any more energon. "I know you're a rational mech. Well, at least the sanest Decepticon in the whole armada. You should know that right at this moment you are very likely to become our prisoner. I would advise you not to be so provoking, and it would be to both your and Soundwave's benefits if you surrender immediately."

The Seeker shot a look in the Autobot medic's direction, optics narrowed into slits of molten crimson. "You hurt him. What makes you think I'll cooperate? I will personally deactivate each and everyone of you with my hands alone."

Ironhide snorted. "Protective, ain't he?" Ratchet rubbed his temples. This is going to be difficult.

"You're not in a position to threaten, Thundercracker." The Prime crossed his arms, ready to give the others orders to restraint the two mechs. Thundercracker cocked his helm to one side and feigned a contemplative manner.

"… Maybe not, but I could always go on a spree and take down some of you before I get deactivated. Or I could self-destruct."

"And leave Soundwave here all alone? You wouldn't." Ratchet's words stilled the Seeker, and the medic realized that using the tapedeck to force Thundercracker into submission was the smartest course of action. The other Autobots watched the exchange with bewilderment and interest, quite possibly not catching on to Ratchet's sudden revelation. "For Primus' sake, Thundercracker, if I don't get to Soundwave in the next five minutes, he could fall into permanent stasis lock. Would you like that?"

There was only silence as Thundercracker leveled his gaze at the white medic. If looks could kill… Ratchet returned the gaze calmly, knowing that Thundercrakcer would inevitably cave in soon.

"… Fine, handcuff me. But if you mess with Soundwave in any way, if I found out that he was changed in any manner… I'd make sure you have a few deactivated bodies on your hands."

"Medics' vow." Ratchet crossed his servos in front of his chassis. "Besides standard warfare procedures like disabling Soundwave's weapons, I'm not going to touch him. You know I have more dignity and pride than resort to such lowly methods."

No response. Then Thundercracker slowly got on his pedes, raised his servos in a forfeit, and the Autobots watched as an unnerving smirk played across his dermas.

"All right. You've got me."

* * *

><p>A super duper long chapter as an apology for disappearing for so long. Like, double or triple the normal length.<p>

Life's annoying but I have to get used to it. A wonderful follower even send me an encouragement message, thinking I was going to abandon this fic, which I think was very sweet. I'm not going anywhere, don't worry. I love you all for sticking around with my stupid story, following, faving and leaving nice reviews :'

Until next time, then!


	10. Chapter 10

**Marine Teals**

_'Asdffgh'_: symbiotic bond

:sdfghsj: comm link

**Chapter 10**

Everything hurt like a slagger.

Distantly Soundwave's audios registered the background noise as conversation. Autobots. It took his mind too long for his liking to recognize the voices as Ratchet, Ironhide and Prowl's. His CPU was muddled and hazy, numb from the tranquilizer and the wound.

He didn't need to online his optics to know he had been restrained to the medical berth. Soundwave tried sitting up, only to jerk back violently as a searing pain burned his sides. Primus, it felt as if Megatron had shoved his fusion cannon into his docking chamber and fired at maximum power.

Rushed pedesteps, then he was immediately pushed back down onto the berth. "Stay still." Ratchet growled. Soundwave looked at the Autobot medic in silent inquiry. "Yes, you're our prisoner. Yes, we deactivate your defense systems and dampen your telepathy. And no, don't you dare move without my permission. So help me if you tear open that fresh weld. That crazy son of a slagger would deactivate himself to come back and haunt my balls."

Soundwave was about to open his mouth to ask who Ratchet was referring to when Warpath limped his way into the medbay, a sizeable dent on his left leg. Ratchet sighed. "Thundercracker again?"

"We literally had to wrestle the fragger into the brig. He kind of calmed down a bit until dumbaft Huffer said Soundwave'd be in a separate brig." The red tank glared at Soundwave accusingly. "Fragging _**threw**_ me, he did. While handcuffed. He's like a rabid cyberhound!"

The tapedeck sighed internally. Thundercracker was giving away too much sensitive information - the kind that'd allow the Autobots to easily blackmail him. But secretly Soundwave was quite flattered, knowing how his capture affected the pacifist seeker. Still, Soundwave didn't know what to make of their current positions. He knew that thinking of their latest escapades would be counterintuitive right now, but he couldn't help it. He had nearly straddled the Seeker's lap in a lapse of judgment to be more physically intimate. His mind went on autopilot: he had clung to the others, nearly melting as Thundercracker's warm servos tentatively cradled his body.

It was bad enough Soundwave cared. It was worse because he knew Thundercracker truly _**cared**_. It would've been easy not to act on his impulses if the Seeker had just stayed away, or had kept his distance from the tapedeck. But no, he just had to keep coming back to torture him. Thundercracker's words had been like sweet coolant to a sore vocalizer, and Soundwave was feeling giddy and strange, and pumped with adrenaline, and irrational, and all the other bad feelings that he shouldn't. For a moment he had felt invincible, and that he could do anything and everything. To hell with the consequences.

So he did.

He thought maybe Thundercracker was making him more stupid, because whenever the teal mech's around he tend to use his processor half as much.

"... It's not like the mech has a say. Our policy is to separate prisoners. Especially when the prisoners are a sociopathic mind creeper and a rampaging flyer."

Soundwave snapped his attention towards Prowl and narrowed the light behind his visor. That wouldn't do, since either of them would be able to escape on their own. The thought of being near Thundercracker made him nervous and uncertain, but there was no other choice. The telepath thought of negotiation, but there was nothing he could offer, and that'd make his intention so obvious. Thundercracker would likely be spiteful and not even bother speaking to his guards.

Maybe Thundercracker throwing a tantrum was a timely advantage. Autobots were way too compassionate and empathetic for their own good, and likely had some speculations of the bond between him and the teal mech. All he needed to do now is to perform a little trick. It would mean he'd be giving away a tactical advantage that not even the Decepticon armada knew, but it'll hopefully be worth it.

He ran a quick check of his systems. Good, still intact. The Autobot medic couldn't have known.

So Soundwave offlined his audios and visor, shut down his sensory and balance neural nets after timing a full-system reboot, sucked in a deep breath, and screamed.

* * *

><p>"... So, that's what happened."<p>

"Ah can't see a flip'n thing! The slag just happened-"

Ratchet calmly gripped Ironhide's jaw and firmly held it in place, and the other mech took it as a sign to shut up and sit still. The medic then popped open the left audio panel to peek inside. "Aaaaaaand... here's the broken wire."

Prowl was stumbling around as if he'd forgotten how to walk, and the Praxian soon crashed into a shelf and landed flat on his back when he kicked his left leg up too high.

"For the love of Primus, I told him to stay put! Wheeljack, would you mind...?"

From the monitors, Wheeljack sighed, shuffled quickly to Prowl's side and hauled him onto a nearby berth. Then he started scanning Prowl's vitals for malfunctions. Prime slowly took in the scene, shuttered his optics in surprise, then looked at the Decepticon secured on the med berth. Soundwave's visor was a dim glow as he silently observed the Prime.

"... Soundwave did all this?"

"Yes."

"Sorry, but, uh... one more time. I'm still a bit confused."

"Soundwave woke up, tried to move, I held him down. Warpath came in because fucking Thundercracker keeps struggling and fighting back. He told us how Thundercracker went berserk when Huffer said he and creepy telepath here would be in different cells. Prowl said it's protocol. Then Soundwave screamed his vocals off, and our internal sensory and balance systems glitched out like crazy." Ratchet shivered lightly, remembering the piercing sound drilling into his audio drums, the acute pain making him stagger and dropping into a kneeling position. That was the most unpleasant and nauseating feeling he'd ever had, as if he had a hangover after someone had put his processor in a blender.

Ratchet put back the audio panel, and Ironhide sighed in relief, happy to regain his sight. The white medic then placed his servos on Soundwave's throat, and he tensed up immediately. The Decepticon's visor light darkened to a bruising crimson, and Ratchet had a feeling the other mech would gladly bite of his digits if he didn't remove his servos in the next two seconds.

He suddenly felt ridges and welts that shouldn't be there, and it took him a moment to realize they were scars. Ratchet was intrigued, and tried to tilt Soundwave's head up to better see the scars on Soundwave's throat, but the mech held his helm firmly in place. He could tell Soundwave was angered at this intrusion, and dropped his hands.

Why hadn't anybody noticed in all these vorns? What happened to Soundwave?

He decided against voicing out his new discovery. Decepticon or not, Ratchet was not a privy mech, and personal things weren't supposed to be intruded on. "Turns out his vocals are modified to produce sonic waves that disrupt electrical flows and cause all types of minor malfunctions. The vibration can even snap thinner wires and cables."

"And that's why Ironhide was temporarily blind, and Prowl couldn't walk a straight line."

"Yep. One of my audios spazzed, and my right knee keeps folding and unfolding sporadically. Immediately I called Wheeljack over through the comm, he fixed me up and then we called you."

"And... Soundwave didn't even bother to escape during the entire episode?"

"That's the weird part. When he screamed, the effects were immediate, and we all fell into a panic. I quickly turned to Soundwave because this was an opening he could take. But the 'Con was just lying there watching us. He didn't even so much as flex a cable."

"I thought vocal mods were extinct. Too complex, not enough resources and professional skills around. I know Frenzy has special drums in his torso that also produce sonic attacks, but that's much more simple to implement." Optimus mused. "It would be bad for us if the Decepticons have more mechs with the mod."

"Well, that's the thing." Wheeljack chimed in excitedly. "It was an innate mod. Most mechs had their mods implemented artificially by medics or technicians, but Soundwave's vocals were modified naturally at sparkbirth." The eccentric scientist then bounced lightly on his pedes like an overenthusiastic sparkling. "From a scientific perspective, he's a fascinating specimen. Innate mods are a rarity, and the number of mech with born specialties could be counted on two servos."

"No, we're not letting you experiment on him. I gave Thundercracker my word, and I have my honor." Ratchet glared at Wheeljack, and the mech deflated. Primus knows how Thundercracker'd react if they accidentally let slip that they fiddled with Soundwave, and in an army with more than a few gossipers and big mouths, the chances are abnormally high.

"Did you disable the mod?"

"Disabling the mod means disabling his vocals as well. So he's kinda mute at the moment. I don't want him blowing our heads off when we discuss his sentence."

Ratchet paused for a bit, then turned to Prime. Thundercracker's over-protectiveness and sudden change in character only happened when Soundwave was involved. Soundwave might just be reciprocating the sentiment, which put their relationship in a different light. He'd try and interrogate the Decepticon Communications Officer after everyone had deserted the med bay.

"I think... and this is pure speculation, but... he might have voiced his disapproval. He wants to be put together with Thundercracker."

"That's against protocol." Prowl said instantly.

"Yes, I know what the blasted protocols say!" The white mech snapped. Textbook much? "Still, it'd be best to put them together. Thundercracker would definitely not cooperate and he's quite aggressive. Soundwave's presence might calm him. Besides, I want to negotiate with someone who's not murderous and I feel unless we put the two together, that wouldn't happen."

"Frag no, Ratchet! You've finally lost it."

Blaster walked in and eyed Soundwave. Returning the gesture, Soundwave's visor light narrowed into slits as he turned to fully face his rival. Ratchet scowled at the red and yellow carrier.

"Who told you Soundwave woke up? I'm not going to suffer a hissy fight between rival carriers."

"Warpath. And I've got more self-control and pride than you give credit for."

"How is Teletraan-1's systems, Blaster?" Optimus asked gently.

"Almost back to normal, Prime. Half a day and all will be well."

"You still haven't figured out the virus' origins?"

"I'm still confused about that. There's nobody in the Decepticon army that I know of who has this level of expertise! Even I can't make a virus like this."

"That you know of. What if you don't know? My bet is that they recruited someone new. You don't know everything." Wheeljack shrugged, and Blaster glared at him. "Hey, it's true. You're great at your job, and you're one of the best in your field, but you're not the _Piece de Resistance_ of the entire course."

"Gee, thanks a lot, 'Jack. Rub it in, why don't ya?"

Ratchet sighed in exasperation. "Are you all here just for idle chitchat, or actual business? Because I will be ejecting you all out of my medbay as soon as Prowl can walk straight. Including you, Prime."

"Actually, I'm here for Optimus." One final dirty glare at Soundwave, and Blaster shifted his attention to the Autobot leader completely. "Megatron hailed the Ark, and apparently he wants to negotiate with you. He also said you two have some personal issues to settle."

The moment Blaster mentioned Megatron's name, Optimus Prime stiffened immediately, his body tense, his optic bright. "Let's go to the command room, then."

"He wants to talk with _**you**_. Alone. No audience."

Prime lapsed into quiet thought, and his right servo came up to gently scratch his collar. Then he nodded.

"... Hail the Nemesis, and link the transmission to my private monitor. Make the link private, disable any recording or broadcasting to that channel. And please deactivate any camera or microphone that may be lurking in my room." His voice took a hardened edge, one the Prime rarely ever takes, only when he was dead serious and intolerant of any disobedience. "Nobody is to know the content of our exchange. If I found out about any eavesdropping, there's going to be severe punishments. Clear?"

"Clear, Prime," said everyone.

"Good. Blaster, lead the way."

Optimus and Blaster swiftly swept out of the medbay. Wheeljack put away the medical tools as Prowl climbed off the berth and tentatively planted one pede on the ground. He walked around slowly and gave a small nod. "Prowl's all good now, by the way."

"Good. All of you, out."

Once everyone has left, Ratchet locked the door, covered all the cameras that he'd found installed in the room in the many years on the Ark. He pulled up a chair next to the Decepticon's berth, trying to think of what to ask and ways to phrase his sentence, because it was always difficult to pry info out of the stoic mech. They sat for a while, just observing each other until Ratchet broke the silence.

"Ok. 'Yes' by blinking your visor light, no by offlining it. Clear?"

Soundwave was practically radiating with contempt, but he blinked.

"Were you asking to be put with Thundercracker?"

A blink.

"Is there anything between you two?"

A few minutes of silence. A blink, then Soundwave offlined his visor. So was that a maybe? Or he just didn't want to confirm anything?

Ratchet hated to admit it, but Soundwave was one of the most brilliant mechs out there, not just within the Decepticon army. It was either him or Starscream, and the seeker wasn't exactly available for questioning. If they really did recruit someone new like Wheeljack had suggested, then the Autobots would be in trouble, because they had virtually no files on that unknown mech.

"Did you create the virus?"

This time, Soundwave watched the medic with something almost akin to curiosity, as if contemplating whether he should indulge the other mech. Then he blinked very, very slowly.

Oh great. Soundwave was a friggin' genius. Blaster was going to be sullen for a while.

"Your neck... has scars on them. Why? Is it related to your vocal mods?"

The Decepticon stared at him. He didn't blink, he didn't offline his visor. Ratchet waited for a while but there was no other reaction. He was simply ignoring the medic's question. Ratchet had anticipated as much.

Ratchet stood up and inject Soundwave with tranquilizers and sensory dampeners. He made sure the blue tapedeck was deep under before getting out and locking the medbay.

* * *

><p>It took over a joor before Prime left his chamber and walk into the rec room. Ratchet had rightfully assumed he would go there when the talk was over, and had been waiting patiently near the energon dispenser. He had convinced Beachcomber that he'd take his shift, and put on a convincing (at least he thought so) act of a murderous stressed-out medic who needed a spontaneous break from routine. Beachcomber, ever understanding, had agreed. And judging from the lack of visitors to the rec room, the mech had apparently warned the others about his present homicidal tendencies.<p>

The Prime walked in, but his strides were slow and hesitant, as if he was in deep thought. Yet there was an odd relaxation and spring to his body language. Optimus's optics were wider and brighter than normal. He was bewildered and confused, Ratchet could tell.

"Prime? You OK? Did Megatron upset you?"

The red and blue truck seemed to be jostled out of his reverie, and when he spoke, his voice was airy and barely above a whisper.

"Oh, no... it's nothing like that... It's just... I think I've just had the most civilized conversation with Megatron since the start of the war."

The white medic was a little concerned at how disoriented the Prime was being. He was looking in Ratchet's direction, but he was looking right _**through**_ him. What had they spoken about that left Optimus so shocked? "Prime?"

The Prime's mind didn't even appear to be on Earth any more. "He didn't throw in any derogatory remarks, no mocking quips, no accusations. Sure, there were still sneers and contempt, but he didn't seem intent on psychologically manipulating or humiliating me. We just... talked. Like two disillusioned leaders complaining about life. It was almost... nice, in a peculiar way." For a moment, Optimus' eyes clouded with nostalgia and a hint of longing. "That was cruel of him, reminding me of bygone days... Was it his goal to make me miserable?"

The Autobot leader shrugged his shoulders. "But then again, hasn't it always been his goal to do so?"

Ratchet wanted to ask, but decided against it. Personal memories were something not meant to be pried unless voluntarily shared.

"Did he talk about prisoner exchange, or anything of that nature?"

"That's... also another strange part." Optimus said slowly. "When I asked him about it, he only said that if _'those two incompetent idiots'_ got captured of their own will, then they can get out on their own. These two are among his most invaluable soldiers. His indifference struck me as out of character. He seemed more interested in talking to me than anything else."

"Then... how should we deal with Thundercracker and Soundwave? They are both stubborn, and I don't think they'd cooperate unless we put them in the same brig."

"That'd really increase their chance of escape, though."

"Well, we could always increase surveillance and guards. Call me crazy, but... They seem almost desperate to stay near each other, and I don't think it has anything to do with tactical advantages."

"It... appears that way to me also. I think that's fine, as long as we're being cautious."

Ratchet passed him a small energon cube, and he nodded his thanks. After a few minutes, Optimus spoke again, quieter this time.

"He was alone in his chamber when we talked. I... I don't know. It was so _**personal**_ all of a sudden."

Ratchet left the Prime to his own thoughts. They didn't say a word go each other after that.

* * *

><p>Soundwave steeled himself for his encounter with Thundercracker as he was escorted to the brigs. When Ratchet had roused him from his slumber and told him they would be in the same brig, the tapedeck had second thoughts. His plan had worked, but now he was presented with a much bigger problem. He didn't know how to act at all around the seeker, and his lack of speech would only make it more difficult.<p>

Thundercracker was sitting on a corner bench, his wings tense and high, servos balled into fists. When the door opens, he lifted his helm to see Soundwave being pushed into his cell. Relief was all Soundwave could see on Thundercracker's faceplate as he looked up and down the tapedeck's frame. As soon as the escorting Autobots went out of sight, Thundercracker was up and striding towards him.

The teal mech said nothing as he stared at Soundwave, and Soundwave began to shift on his feet when the tension in the cell became to much to bear. In a split second, Thundercracker's expression of immense relief warped into one of unrestrained fury, and the Seeker growled viciously at the telepath.

"You...! You idiot!"

Soundwave flinched at the unexpected outburst. He had expected Thundercracker to be at ease when he saw the tapedeck again, but instead the teal mech was outraged. His processor unhelpfully and irrelevantly pointed out to him the way the Seeker's frame brimmed with barely suppressed anger, how the corners of his mouth turned down into a frown, the tightly drawn optic ridges, straight wings, narrowed optics burning with anger... His mind also supplied to him that an angry Thundercracker was a very handsome Thundercracker.

Soundwave shivered a little at the intensity of the gaze boring holes into his helm.

"You absolutely hopeless moron... Why'd you have to take a shot for me? You're not build to shield others! My armors' much more reinforced than yours!"

He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly remembered his present handicap. So instead he shook his head lightly.

"They didn't experiment on you or anything, did they?"

Again he shook his head. Thundercracker seemed a bit puzzled. "Why aren't you talking?"

The blue tapedeck pressed his digits against his battlemask, then made a cross symbol. Thundercracker paused, then hissed furiously.

"They _**muted**_ you? How _**dare**_ they touch you? I'll kill them, I swear to Unicron..."

Well that was... somewhat unexpected. Seekers were naturally possessive, some obsessively so. Thundercracker's possessiveness was moderate compared to most Seekers he had seen, but never in a hundred vorns would he imagine himself the subject of such sentiment.

It had been a while since he used his playback functions. He compiled some archived snippets into a sentence. It wasn't great, but it was better than nothing.

"Thundercracker: calm down. Soundwave: fully functional."

The other didn't reply, but he relaxed significantly when he knew Soundwave could still find ways to converse with him. Thundercracker stepped further into Soundwave's personal space so that their chassis almost touched, and started to thoroughly pat him down for injuries, at least as thoroughly as his cuffed servos would allow. Soundwave winced slightly as hands pressed against his side. The welds on the wounds there were still fresh and thus still tender. The teal Seeker halted his administrations and offered an apologetic smile. Soundwave lightly shook his helm to indicate that he didn't mind the sting, and that he appreciated the gesture. There was never a need to check in the first place, as the Autobot medic had always been more than capable in his profession, but the telepath didn't point that out. It was nice to have someone besides his symbionts who genuinely cared for his well-being for a change.

Thundercracker's frame rumbled as he chuckled. "I seriously want to hug you right now. But, you know." He rattled the stasis cuffs strapped to his wrist. "Circumstances."

Soundwave blinked, surprised at the ease with which the statement rolled off the tip of the Seeker's glossa. The Communications Officer would burn in the Pit before he did the same thing. Besides, Soundwave had never been a loquacious mech. Words were powerful and deceitful tools. That was partly why he never spoke more than absolutely necessary - it was always better to say little than too much.

The Communications Officer mulled over his response carefully. He did not want to send the wrong message - everything's already complicated the way it was - and in the end settled for a simple sentence.

"Maybe later."

Thundercracker's optics lit up the way they did whenever Soundwave agreed to let things go his way, and the teal mech's grin was a handsomely roguish upturn of one corner of his mouth. "I'll remember to remind you about that."

* * *

><p>The air seemed to have been sucked out of the command room completely.<p>

Ratchet's jaw was locked in place from the shock, and he couldn't will his uncooperative vocals to speak. That had explained everything. Ratchet felt a momentary pride in his ability to judge actions, but then looked to his side and slapped an exasperated hand on his face.

Prowl's processor had already crashed, and the unfortunate mech stood frozen near the desk. Apparently the percentage of a developing romantic interest between the teal Seeker and the Decepticon Communications Officer was so improbable to Prowl that he didn't even deem it worth calculating. But then again, half the Autobots present were staring slack-jawed at the surveillance screen, the other half just looking dumbly at each other.

Not Optimus Prime, though. At first the Autobot leader were also shocked speechless, but the perplexed expression was soon replaced by a softer look. Ratchet gawked dumbfoundedly at the melancholy in the Prime's optics. He had a nagging gut feeling it had something to do with that talk between the Prime and the Decepticon warlord.

Ratchet stared back at the monitor again. Maybe it was just a hallucination, a trick on the optics. But sure enough, there they were, proximity suggesting a level of trust and intimacy he'd thought impossible. The words were too hushed for him to catch, but they were filled with joy and playfulness. It was as if there was nobody but the two of them together, lost in their own little world.

Ratchet had been in love a few times. He was old, and throughout his life he had met an impressive number of couples, enough for him to become an insightful and attentive observer. Ratchet knew the tiny touches, the soft petting of servos, the constant desire for proximity and the way two mechs looked at each other when they were absolutely smitten with one another. The white medic carefully scrutinized the surveillance camera, looking for familiar signs. There was definitely the spark, a tiny kindle, maybe, but not yet a flame.

Ratchet switched off the surveillance cams. It felt wrong, alien even, to witness something so ... raw, so intimate among their enemy faction. It was things like this that made the medic question the Autobots' natural assumptions of Decepticons. As cruel, vindictive and manipulative as they were, they weren't sparkless. They could still love. It also filled him with the irrational hope that this war could have a peaceful ending without the annihilation of one faction.

Hoist snapped out of his stupor to inquire him. "What are you doing? We need to supervise them 24/7!"

"We don't need to watch this."

"Are you going soft on them? They could be acting for all we know!" Cliffjumper chimed in. Ratchet eyed the minibot.

"I am not, but I can assure you this is no faking. Remember Thundercracker's capture? Don't you ever wonder why he was so uncharacteristically enraged by the fact that Soundwave was shot?" Bumblebee's faceplate lit up in understanding. "I feel we should not intrude. Would you like it if others do this to you?"

"Ratchet's right." Optimus sternly said. "We should respect their privacy."

"But..."

"No. We'll wait for a while until they've fallen into recharge. Then you all can voyeur to your spark's content." Ratchet shrugged. "We're not Decepticons. Switch the cameras on in half a joor. Soundwave's systems is still weakened, so I'm predicting his recharge cycle will start soon in order to recuperate his body."

* * *

><p>"... I guess this isn't time to talk. We're being watched."<p>

Soundwave knew Thundercracker would try to broach the topic, but he still had the sensibility not to do it now. At least it would buy the tapedeck more time to sort his processor out. "Affirmative."

The teal seeker looked at him with desperation and confusion in his optics. "Then promise not to run away or avoid me when we get out of here?"

Soundwave hesitated before playing a very quiet affirmative, and Thundercracker said no more.

He was ushered towards the bench, where the two of them sat down and leaned against eachother. They didn't talk about why, or make up an excuse, since both knew there was none anyway. Soundwave listened to Thundercracker's quieting systems as the seeker drifted into recharge, and powered his own systems down.

* * *

><p>Ratchet watched the two Decepticons leaning against each other, blissfully peaceful in rest, and briefly wondered what this world had come to.<p>

* * *

><p>I don't mean to abandon this fic, don't fret. With the first year of college, I just haven't the time to write down the ideas and connect the paragraphs into a complete chapter.<p>

Thank you for waiting, and please enjoy.


End file.
